


Not a hero

by fayegonin



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-11-07 01:06:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 52,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11048100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fayegonin/pseuds/fayegonin
Summary: I'm writing what I think might happen next to Nico. My major purpose for this is to explore the fascinating character of Nico di Angelo in a little more depth. It's from his POV. What goes on behind that death stare and maniac eyes? Does he like his friends or hate them? How true is his relationship?Let me know what you think, all feedback is appreciated. Please, if there are any inaccuracies with the original books, point them out.





	1. Chapter 1

The monsters are all around you, if only you could see them. You are protected by your unceasing stupidity, your endless excuses, and your terrible sight. Be blessed that you do not see truly, for if you did, you would never venture from your safe hearth. Do not be fooled. It is not the wisdom and clear sight of humans that has allowed progress. Those qualities bring only misery. It is your blindness that has allowed you to prosper, your self-deceiving nature that allows you to think of yourselves as the superior race. Who am I to say these things? I am Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, survivor of Tartarus, and the Ghost King. I will not take after my sometime friend and warn you away from reading this. Truth, if indeed you are cursed to find it, cannot be withheld or hidden for long. There is no weapon more powerful than truth. No weapon but death.

I am the son of Hades, which means my life is not destined to contain sunshine and roses. Still there are bright moments, mostly involving my boyfriend or my friends. I scare them, but they still care for me. I suspect that makes them the better people. Still, I do my best. I pull my best geek façade on whenever social interactions are required. I can make all but a few forget what I am, at least until someone gets my temper up. Then the looks begin anew. Apparently skeletons still aren’t welcome, and although some find my zombie driver cool, most only accept that because they don’t want me driving. Truly, they do not appreciate my humor. Or perhaps death and destruction to all are only amusing to the children of Hades. After all, death holds no secret for me. I am, in more than just blood, my father’s son.  But enough, I have been told that I cannot narrate this story for you if I am grim all the time. So welcome to Camp-Half-Blood, home of ADHD and Dyslexia, murdering children, monsters, centaur instructors, traitors to the gods, a fire spitting climbing wall, a forest that will eat you alive, and the most vicious capture-the-flag games that you will ever find.

Speaking of which, I am watching the current game hidden in shadow only yards from the flag with my boyfriend hidden next to me. I am getting more comfortable with the word and the concept, but truly, a catholic upbringing is something difficult to overcome. Still, I am much more likely to have people come after me for being the child of death than for being gay. Fortunately, my power discourages both. Not many people want to face Jules-Albert in a bad mood. I have agreed to be the distraction while my boyfriend steals the flag. Normally, I would simply shadow travel in and grab it, but after I did that a few times, my opposing team started lighting the area with torches or getting a sorcerer to illuminate the area. Of course, that means that the flag area stands out like a sore thumb, making it much easier to find. Athena learned to compensate for this by placing the flag at the bottom of a hill or somewhere hidden, where the light won’t escape. However, Ares cabin, which are currently guarding the flag are much too stupid to realize. The flag is like a beacon at the top of the hill. Idiots. I sit back and wait for the serious of diversions to be carried out. Athena’s cabin masterminded the attack.

I hear a clattering in the woods. A few flag guards run off. Sherman bellows “You idiots! We’re waiting here for the death creep to show up.” I grin. He means me.

I whisper to my boyfriend “Will, I’m going to shadow travel to the other side and might summon a few friends. You run in from here and grab the flag. I’ll back you up shortly.” He grins and I vanish, appearing in the shadow of a tree across the clearing.

I step out into the open, mocking “Clever of you, Sherman. You kept any shadows from forming near the flag. I suppose I shall simply have to fight my way through.” I block the slice aimed at my back and strike in a weak point of the armor, sending the poor kid down. They start shivering, and my blade quivers in response. I smile; something that can terrify the worst souls and stop monsters in their tracks. Unfortunately, Ares’ campers never take the hint. Sherman rushes me with the rest of his friends. In seconds they surround me, and it is all that I can do to not go down. No killing or maiming permitted, but that doesn’t stop Ares kids from trying. I slip into my fighting trance, and my blade of stygian iron vibrates in my hands, drinking in blood and leaving a chill deeper than winter behind. I slice Sherman along the forearm, deeper than I meant to. The chill from my sword is as much a psychological weapon as a physical danger. Sure enough, his arm goes numb and he steps out, allowing another to take his place.

Sherman looks around while binding up his arm “Hey guys, Will is stealing the flag. Let’s go get him!” I knock a few campers out while they look around, trying to figure out what he’s talking about. I wrapped Will with a bit of shadow earlier, for disguise and protection. Will takes off through the woods, and I slip back into shadow after knocking a few more helms. I took only minor injuries, but Sherman’s electric weapons are simply terrible on the system. I travel through the shadows until I am beside Will, grabbing him and pulling him into the shadows. We stop just before crossing the border.

Will shudders “You freaking terrified me, pulling me into the shadows like that.”

I roll my eyes “Get across the border, you gorgeous idiot. I’m not allowed to shadow travel across. Chiron’s orders. Go!” I give him a push just as the horde of Ares and Hephaestus campers come charging through the woods. Will runs, and I stand at the border to guard his escape, summoning up shadows to confuse and distract. The shadows hover over the river, causing the demigods to pause. I shake my head and start dancing, taping them on their helms and watching the terror in their eyes.

Leo Valdez is a little harder to confuse. I think his head is too thick. He shoots fire at me while my back is turned. Unfortunately for him, he yells while he does it, giving me ample time to react. I catch his fireball on my blade. The blade shudders, and I mentally apologize to it for the heat. The blade absorbs the fire, and starts pulling in more. Leo’s face widens in shock, and he starts yelling profanities. I order the blade to stop. I had no idea it wanted to eat fire. I thought it only wanted to consume life force, not fire. Unless, the fire is Valdez’s life force. Fire is linked more closely to life than any other power. I order the blade to stop as the whistle blows. Will made it across the river. Leo approaches “Dude, Nico, wtf was that?”

I grin “Stygian Iron, my friend.” I sheath the blade.

“Can I play with it? What did it do to me?”

I sigh. Of course having his life force drained would simply produce questions. At least he hasn’t started his jokes yet. “No you cannot play with it. It is dangerous for any not of death to touch. It kills by draining life-force, by augmenting the shadow.”

Leo pouts “No fair. Why do you get to play with it then?”

Valdez always manages to be annoying. “One, I’m a child of Hades, and my power lies in death and shadow. Two, I try my very hardest not to cut myself on the blade. If I gave it to you, Valdez, you’d probably cut yourself on it just to see what the soul draining out of your body would feel like.” I know I sound exasperated.

Unfortunately, Leo never takes offense at my words. He covers the flicker of fear in his face with more bluster, which is something that makes him unbearably annoying and just a little adorable. “Aw Nico, I’d never do that. Can’t I play with the sword?”

I roll my eyes “Father, save me from bratty, fire-wielding sons of Hephaestus.” I glare at Nico. “No, I’m going to join in the celebrations with my boyfriend. Now shut up and go ride your dragon.” Leo jerks back from my glare, but grins broadly. He knows I would never hurt him unless he messed with Hazel, my sister. I run off, slipping into a shadow. I take note of who winced or changed expression when I mentioned my boyfriend. They’ll be the ones I keep an eye on. My days of running from friends are over, so I need strategies to secure my continued presence. But I do have a tendency of annoying people, even when I am not particularly trying to. Perhaps it is because I wear all black. Someone asked if I was emo, and I simply glared at them. I don’t want to ask what emo is.

I do enjoy the celebrations, but I leave early. Having too many living people around, especially when they are not trying to kill me, is unsettling. I realize that I should want more human company, but truly, the dead are much easier to deal with. This is especially true when I am called to the big house the next day.

Sherman is sitting inside, he looks angry and upset. Chiron is frowning, never a good sign. He jumps up as I enter the room, clearly agitated. “See, he wears the damn thing everywhere, as if his face isn’t scary enough!” Somehow, I know he means me.

I sigh and make an effort “Sherman, what’s the problem?”

“You! and your damn sword.”

Chiron interrupts “Sherman, settle down. Nico, take a seat.” I drop into the couch across from Sherman, slouching a little. I hate being in trouble. Chiron continues “I called you here to discuss your sword. Are you aware of its properties?”

I glance up at Chiron “Its Stygian Iron. Of course I’m aware, it’s my sword.”

“Are you aware how dangerous just a cut on the blade can be?”

I shrug “It’s most effective against souls and the like, but yes, I know it’ll drain life force. It is quite useful in battle.”

Sherman explodes “See, he’s going to kill someone with it.”

I snort, just to infuriate him “Hardly. I have control over my weapon.”

Chiron yells “Children.” I sink back into the chair, folding my arms in satisfaction. Annoying Sherman is one of the few pleasures in life. “Nico, I would ask you to leave your sword in your cabin for the next few days until we get this cleared up.”

“No. And get what cleared up?”

Surprisingly, Sherman holds his tongue. Chiron replies “Sherman believes that you were purposefully draining the life force from his campers and attempting to kill him.”

I laugh “You’re kidding me.” I hold Sherman’s eyes and see that he is serious “If I were trying to kill him, or anyone else, they’d be dead.”

He reacts “Then why’d you give me this?” He holds up his arm. “As soon as you cut me, my arm went numb, and I began to feel tired.”

I consciously relax my posture. No sense in provoking a fight. “Sherman that is just what Stygian Iron does. If I was draining life force, your campers would be collapsing. Not feeling numb.”

“My arm still stings!”

I shrug “It’ll be gone by tomorrow, faster if you sit in the sun. Stop worrying, I bet your campers are fine. I was very careful not to kill any of them, although you were certainly trying to kill me with that electric spear of yours.”

Chiron stops Sherman before he can retort. “I think you are probably right, Nico. However, it would be very helpful if you could leave off the sword for a few days.”

I cross my arms and stand “No, never.”

“Nico.” Chiron meets my eyes, looking disappointed.

I glare down Chiron “This blade has been with me through hell and back. I’m not putting it down because Sherman is scared.” Perhaps statements like that are why I have so much trouble making friends. I state “I’ll leave camp before I surrender my weapon.”

Chiron replies “Nico, be reasonable.  Think of your friends, it is only temporary until we get this sorted out. You can’t leave camp now.” His soothing voice has nothing on Piper’s.

“No.” Chiron glares at me. I laugh my nasty, scary laugh that just isn’t funny. Sherman shrinks back. I add “You forget, Chiron, I’m not a hero.” I smile at Sherman “I’ll see you later.” I walk out of the room, making sure my steps make no sound. I will not give up my sword, although the dramatic exit definitely needs a cape.

I sit at Will’s table at lunch. His campers have warmed to me a little, but they still don’t trust me. Will still doesn’t trust me totally, and we are dating. Towards the end of lunch, Cecil drifts over and whispers “Dude, I heard you defied Chiron! What’s up?”

Will raises an eyebrow “Nico, what did you do?”

I shrug “Sherman happened. He thinks I’m trying to kill him.”

Cecil frowns “Are you? Cause, dude, I’d cheer.”

I scowl “No, he’s just scared of my sword. He made Chiron tell me to leave it in my cabin.”

Will points out the obvious “Which you didn’t do.”

I shrug “I told Chiron as much. I was quite annoyed, but I don’t really blame him. Sherman made quite a good case for himself.”

Cecil frowns “Why would he think that?”

I shrug “I beat him in capture the flag. My blade has a cold numbing effect. He overreacted.”

Will frowns “Isn’t your blade stygian iron? Should you even be using that in capture the flag?”

I reply “Yes and yes. I can control my sword.”

Cecil replies “Something about life force?”

I start to get annoyed “My sword drains life force. It is most effective against shades and souls, but I suppose I could destroy a few annoying demigods while I’m at it.” I shoot Cecil a glare. He backs down and tries not to run back to his table.

To my surprise, half the Apollo table starts laughing. Will slides up against me and puts his arm around my shoulder. He knows I hate public displays of affection, but persists in trying. He whispers “You are so adorable when angry at those poor fools.” I glare at my boyfriend. He kisses me on the nose. I can’t help a small smile as I relax into him. I can hear the papers being passed around the Apollo table. They think they haven’t noticed, but the campers have started taking bets on how long it takes me to drive away people I don’t want to talk to. By the sound of it, Austin Lake won that round. I would ask them to stop, but they have the foolish notion that Will can protect them from me, and I would hate to disappoint.

~~~~


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, I’ll admit it; it is a little bit funny to watch Cecil’s face, and Sherman’s, and Connor Stoll, and basically everyone else who bothered me in the last week. Still, Will’s siblings don’t need to take bets on how long it takes me to scare people. Especially when they complain that it is too fast for them to even get a good round of bets in. I am talented at getting rid of people. I usually don’t even have to try.

That afternoon, I go and clean up my cabin while Will sits on my bed and criticizes my cleaning. Apparently I am supposed to sweep under my bed, not just around it. Finally, he helps me. Then he gets called to the infirmary, someone got stabbed at sword practice. I figure I am done with cleaning anyway. We make plans to sit by the beach, as summer is winding down. There are only two weeks until the summer ends, and I personally can’t wait to get rid of everyone. Well, everyone except Will. It’s strange, I love him, I think, but it is just weird to be in a relationship like that. He acts like he understands me, but he doesn’t know me. Will is a healer, and I am afraid that that is all this is. He wants to heal my scars, save me from myself. I don’t think that’s possible. I am who I am, and I can’t change my nature. It took me a very long time to come to terms with this. But I enjoy hanging out with Will. I enjoy his sunny presence, and the smile that he can surprise out of me. But he sees me as a victim, someone to be protected and to heal. And I am not that person. I cannot return to my 11-year-old self.

 Dinner is going well. Chiron keeps glancing at me speculatively, I am wearing my sword. Sherman keeps sending me glares. Everyone once in a while I maintain eye contact. He always blinks after a few seconds. Most children of Ares are cowards that run with the pack, but occasionally a true leader is forged. I have respect for Clarisse, but none for Sherman. He tried to get Chiron to fix his fears. His own father would probably smack him. But then, Percy defeated Ares. He can’t be that tough.

Will is sitting close by my side, and I have to work to keep the smile off my face. My smile tends to scare people and I would never want to give the impression that I am softening. I’m not, but maybe I’m growing. Then, I notice a disturbance in the shadows on the table. The Apollo kids notice where I am staring. Excited chatter breaks out, I hold up a hand. They settle. The shadows coalesce into a letter. The envelope is made of shadow, a trick I could never pull off. I know it’s from my father. The envelope says Ghost King. I sigh at the title. This means it is serious.

I open the letter, ignoring the stares. The other tables have begun to notice. The envelope melts back into the shadow. The letter is black paper with white ink. I feel a sardonic smile cross my face. Hades prefers black. The letter reads

_Dear Nico,_

_Join me in the hall at your earliest convenience. There are issues that demand your presence._

_Sincerely, Hades._

The handwriting is messy, which means he probably wrote it himself. I imagine a secretary would be neater, and probably use normal paper. I look at my plate and sigh. I was almost done with the spaghetti. I hand the letter to Will, who holds the letter like it might burn him. I give Will a kiss on the cheek and stand up. I know everyone is staring at me, but I don’t acknowledge them. It is too strange to have all eyes on me, although I should be used to it by now. I meet Chiron’s eyes and bow. I speak to Chiron, although my voice is loud enough for everyone to hear. “My father has summoned me. I will return when possible. I do not know why, or how long.”

Chiron nods “Good luck, Nico.” I can feel his concern. I turn and walk into the shadow, heading for the anteroom off of Hades’ great hall.

Shadow travel is strange. You know you exist, but also that you aren’t anywhere. The darkness is all that is real, but it isn’t like normal darkness. Shadow travel is like unreality. The place you are doesn’t exist, you don’t exist, but you know that you do. It is more that darkness, for darkness requires light. It is the absence of reality, for a split second.

And I come out of the darkness straight into the path of arrows. Only my reflexes saved me from an arrow straight through my chest. I roll and come up with my sword, slicing another arrow from the air. I command “Stop!” My opponents, who are some of Hades’ sentry spirits, freeze. I introduce myself “I am Nico, son of Hades. My father summoned me here.”

The spirits are still frozen. I frown and declare “You are released.”

They bow and one begins “My apologies, your highness. We did not expect a demigod to rise from the shadows. These are tumultuous times.”

I frown. The war with Gaea is long over, and aside from Apollo being stupid and mortal, there isn’t much going on. I ask “Would you tell me what has you so on edge?” If they are shooting at shadows in the underworld, there’s a problem.

The spirits glance at each other. The one that spoke before replies “I think Lord Hades wishes to inform you himself, if he has summoned you here.” He raps on the great, dark, wooden door that is the entrance to Hades throne room. He opens the door, gesturing for me to enter.

I walk into the darkness, letting my eyes adjust. Hades is sitting on his throne. I walk until I am at the foot of the steps leading to the dais. I drop to one knee and bow my head. “Father, you summoned me.”

Power games are important, and Hades is most definitely playing. He is king of the underworld, not just a doting parent right now. He questions “Ghost King, do you pledge your loyalty to me?”

I am unsure of how to reply. I have tried to avoid the role of ghost king. I respond “You know I obey you above all other gods.”

He raises a doubting eyebrow “Really? You would obey me before Zeus?”

I reply “Of course. Zeus can only end my life. You can control my death.”

I am sure I see a hint of a smile in my father’s face. “Good reply, Nico.” He stands, and I take that as permission to rise. He shrinks down to normal size. “Come, we have much to discuss.”

I wonder what is going on.

I follow my father to a small door to the side of the throne room. It is nearly unnoticeable; the design is black on black. There is a small office inside. The desk is of dark ebony wood. The rest of the room is mahogany. Despite the dark colors, the room feels warm. I suspect this is a room that Hades does not show to many. I actually really like it. He gestures for me to sit. I sink into the chair; it is comfortable, ebony to match the desk, with a black plush cushion. Hades has a black swivel chair; it could have come from any store. My father asks “Chatted with any of the dead recently?”

That would be an odd question for anyone else. I reply “Other than the two guards who tried to turn me into a pincushion, no. I am not supposed to summon them at camp, and I have had no need to.”

Hades frowns “My guards are not supposed to shoot at you.”

I shrug “I shadow-traveled and appeared right in front of them. They were on a hair-trigger. What is going on down here?”

Hades leans back, no longer looking like a mysterious and dark god. He looks like any guy at the end of a long day. The maniac intensity of his eyes is still there. If my eyes are one-tenth of that, it is no shock that people avoid me. He begins “Like everyone else, I had many betrayals during the war. Unlike everyone else,” I know he means his brothers. “I also have the responsibility of catching the betrayers and sentencing them or locking them in Tartarus.” I shiver just a little at the name. I can’t tell if Hades notices. He continues “This means I have twice the work.” I stay quiet. I am not sure how this concerns me. He looks at me and sighs “There’s a revolt in the fields of punishment. My first and second in command supported Gaea. I sent them to Tartarus, but they managed to release the majority of the prisoners. They killed a good portion of my staff. The third in command is hiding in my palace. Normally I would deal with the matter myself, but there is a necessity that I travel below and deal with an issue there.”

Below? He must mean Tartarus. I ask “So you want me to resolve a prison riot, led by the worst souls in all of history?”

My father nods, a slight smile crossing his features. “You are the ghost king. You have the power. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can return to camp.”

I frown. “Do I have to?”

Hades replies “You’ll get access to all of my resources. You can command any shade and order things in my name while I am away.”

I can feel my eyebrows shoot up. I normally do not permit myself that much expression, but my ADHD sometimes gets the better of my iron-forged control. “You’re leaving me in charge of the Underworld while you go on vacation? Cool!”

Hades sighs “Now that you put it that way, it doesn’t seem like such a good idea. But Thanatos is very busy catching betrayers, and I have my urgent business. Persephone is away, it is summer, and no one else has the requisite power over the dead to quell a riot. It’ll be difficult, but if you can keep the Underworld from coming apart until I get back, that would be wonderful.”

I nod more seriously. “Okay, I can do that.”

Hades nods, a serious expression back on his face. “Excellent. I’ll introduce you to the remaining warden from the fields of punishment.”

The situation isn’t quite as desperate as Hades made it seem. The prisoners are contained within the fields of punishment. The challenge is in restoring order and finding more guards. Inside the barriers that the warden triggered, the shades are damaging and destroying everything. There are some guards that got locked inside, and surprisingly, some prisoners that want to help restore order. They think a return of control is inevitable, and hope for reward. If my father were as cruel as he is made out to be, he would have let the situation resolve itself. The barrier walls aren’t going to fall anytime soon. So I have time to plan and coordinate an attack.

But first, I send an Iris message to Will. Yes, they do work from the underworld, if you catch a glimmer of sunshine. But the dead can’t use them, and they cost extra. “Nico? Are you okay?”

I smile. Will is a bright ray of sunshine, and that might just be literal. “I’m well. I don’t think I’ll be returning anytime soon though.”

“What happened? Are you in trouble?”

I shrug “The opposite, actually. Hades needed help, but don’t pass that on to anyone. He’d probably kill me or something.”

“Why?”

“Complications from the war. Many chose the wrong side.”

“Okay. Are you really okay?”

Will doesn’t realize how much he overuses that word. I roll my eyes and put on a hint of a smile “Yes, I’m good. Okay. How is the summer wrapping up at camp? What are you doing for the year?”

“Summer’s going good. We are planning a giant bonfire next week. I’m going back home for my senior year of high school. You already know my plans after that.”

“Yes, Doctor Solace. I’ll drop by and visit you, whenever I’m done down here.”

“Nico,” Concern creeps into Will’s voice “Be careful not to overuse your powers.”

I sigh “Will, I’m fully recovered. Really. I’ll be fine.” The Iris message starts flickering. The signal is rather weak down here. “I’ll visit when I can. Bye, Will.”

“Goodbye Nico. Make sure you eat healthy.” I roll my eyes and break the connection.

Now, it is time to plan my takeover of the fields of punishment. I need to learn more about the barrier, because I have an idea forming in my head.


	3. Chapter 3

I command respect from the dead because of my father, because of my sword, but mostly because of my defeat of Minos. Stories are told among the dead of my power to summon and bind them to my will. I held the scepter of Diocletian. I raised an army. I defeated the giants. They fear me as much as the mortals, but I get far more respect and trust from the dead. As well, Hades is a good king and that reputation rubs off on me, especially since we look so similar.

By the next day, I have drawn up a plan to bring the fields of punishment back into order. It seems simple, but I think my plan will work to some extent. I ordered temporary holding cells built. Then I will cut a small hole in the barrier and make it look accidental. Everyone that notices the hole will try to get out and fall into my trap. We’ll lock them in the temporary cells. When the fields are lowered to a more manageable population, I’ll take a team in to restore order.

The third warden was competent, but kept out of the loop. He didn’t know all the details he should have. He was innocent of the plotting of the other two. Still, he definitely isn’t good enough to run the fields of punishment. He doesn’t have the force of character. I am apparently in charge of hiring and firing now, so I get to find two new prison wardens, and probably a whole ton of guards. Souls don’t die, they are already dead, but they can be shredded or battered to pieces by other spirits. My sword can drain a soul of energy, ending its consciousness. That is why spirits fear stygian iron. Celestial bronze is the weapon of choice for monsters, but against the dead, stygian iron is the most effective.

While I wait for the cells to be built, I explore the palace. It is much bigger and less foreboding than one might think. It is not entirely black, nor filled with monsters. The servants are all dead, yes, but they are very polite dead and they like being there. They also gossip; their opinion of me is not that high. I am apparently not dead enough. The secret passages are fun to explore, but I try not to be seen by the servants. I look at Persephone’s garden. It is actually quite beautiful, even though she has only plants of the underworld to work with.

Finally, the cells are ready. I want to get this situation settled. The minutiae of ruling the underworld are excruciating. The amount of papers that I had to sign yesterday was terrifying. And Hades’ secretary told me that these are only the matters that won’t wait for his return.

When does a god need a secretary? When he has to rule the underworld.

That would be a good joke, except it isn’t funny.

I open a small tear in the barrier and step back away. The area is completely blocked off so there is no chance of shades escaping. The warden and his team are waiting just out of sight. Within minutes, a soul starts scratching at the barrier, opening the gap. As soon as possible, he escapes. The warden and his team catch the spirit. He seems almost grateful. He claims the fields are a war zone, and he has seen more souls shredded in the week since the revolt than any time before. I order a few of Hades’ guard to obtain more information from the prisoner.

By the end of the day, we have captured nearly 80 souls. They are mostly happy to be out. I go to sleep. The souls don’t require sleep or rest breaks or salary, which makes it a lot easier than real life. I tell them to wake me if there is a problem.

Sure enough, there is a problem. But they don’t wake me, leaving me to find that five prisoners have escaped the holding cells. I shrug. I sort of expected that. If that is the worst that happens, then we are golden. But still, I would like to be able to trust those under my orders. By now, we have half of the souls in holding. I start to assemble my team to go in. I use the resources in Hades’ desk and start organizing my task force. Then I have a brilliant idea. I’ll pay a visit to an old friend.

Ethan Nakamura was given a minor punishment, on account that he couldn’t stop telling the judges that he deserved punishment. He’s a son of Nemesis, and has history with Percy Jackson. I think he’s perfect for my new prison warden. It will be a simple matter of changing his sentence. I have Hades’ executive powers for that. I order him brought to me at my field command desk. “Ethan, have a seat.” The guards shove him into the chair. I gesture for them to back off.

“Nico di Angelo. Come to gloat?”

I shake my head “No, I have an offer.”

“I want justice.”

I sigh. This will be difficult. I ask “What if you could be treated fairly and help bring justice to others? You could help right the balance that lies on the souls that have erred.”

Ethan crosses his arms, but I can tell he is interested. He threw his life away for justice for others, why not his death too? Once people die, they can’t grow and change. They are stuck as who they were at death. It is sad in some cases, but it is what separates life and the afterlife. Well, other than not having a living body. Ethan demands “What are you offering?”

I reply “I need a new prison warden, one who won’t betray justice. Who better than a son of Nemesis?”

“Do you have the authority or will your father revoke the decision?”

I smile, allowing my expression to grow cold “I have my father’s full authority. He gave me the task of reordering the fields of punishment. He will not revoke my decision.”

Ethan shivers. Like I said, even the dead fear me. “Will this still fulfill justice for me?”

I reply with absolute confidence “Yes. You will be serving to right your wrong and serving justice itself.”

Ethan leans back and thinks for a second. “Hell, I’ll do it. I’m bored anyway.”

I gesture the guard over. “Remove his restraints and bring me the third warden.”

I promote the third warden to second, and Ethan as the new head of the fields of punishment. If it doesn’t work out, my father can fix it when he gets back. The key to the warden is strength of character. No one feels more strongly about justice than a son of Nemesis. I prefer trickery.

Finally, the task force is ready. We will go in, and I will seal the barrier behind us so no shades escape. I open a hole in the barrier far from the first hole. There is no point in a surprise attack if it is from the direction expected. I lead, with Ethan and the warden at my side. I recruited a lot of souls who were prison guards in life. They should be able to work together adequately. I also gave them stygian iron tipped arrows. Enough can shoot that it should work out. No one ever said that the underworld was perfect.

We meet the disobedient souls in the middle of the fields. I yell “Surrender and your sentences won’t be increased. Fight and I’ll make your life worse.”

The leader, Tantalus, calls back “My life already is hell. How can you make it worse?”

I meet his eyes and allow my power to flare. I reply softly into the silence “Very easily, Tantalus. I can make a fruit that you can touch and eat, but it will have no flavor nor fill the endless voracious gnawing hunger within you. I can make your life worse very, very easily.”

He hesitates for a second, then screams “We will never surrender!” I let out my freaky laugh. It scares every living thing and terrifies the dead too. The fighting begins.

Battles are dangerous, scary and ridden with possible failures and probable death. But I love them. I love gambling with life and death with every move I make, every stroke of my sword.  I love testing my power, my strength, against my opponent. I can feel when they are weakest and strike where I sense death. Every strike and every block vibrates through my arm and feeds me power. I move swiftly, and revel in the shock and fear of my opponents. Even ghosts, though they fear my blade, think they are invincible. But I turn them into smoke, without thought or guidance, into absolutely nothing. Spin and slash, my blade slices through another spirit, encountering resistance in a monster. The beast explodes into dust, but now I must hunt down the spirit who summoned him. I dart off, through the melee of spirits trying to destroy each other. I let my sword, vibrating steadily, lead me to the magic. I stab my blade through his heart, letting the sword drink. I pull back before the spirit is shredded. He should enjoy a few more years of punishment. Or enjoy an eternity, an eternity of pain and suffering for his crimes. I laugh and use my magic to lock the soul in place. Around me, the battle is winding down. I allow my mask of calm and control to settle back over my features. But I do not sheath my sword yet.

I gestures to the wardens. “Wardens, take over. Organize and restrain your prisoners. I declare this riot officially ended.” I walk off the field, completely confident and in control. The spirits bow as I pass. It seems it takes battle to convince them I have power.

I walk back into the castle, expecting to have a few minutes to tone down my nerves. As I approach the front door of the palace, I see Persephone. She sees me and starts running towards me. She stops and gasps “Nico?”

I bow shallowly. “Queen Persephone, how may I help you?”

She looks pale, for a goddess “You looked just like your father for a minute. Have you been fighting? And where is he?”

I reply “Hades went away on important business. I was told to restore order to the fields of punishment. What brings you here early?” Summer doesn’t end for a few more days. It is well known that Persephone hates the underworld. She hates me too, although I think we are on better terms than we used to be.

Persephone shrugs, a graceful movement. “My mother.” Her mother, Demeter, is absolutely crazy. I would want to get away from her too. Persephone gestures to me, and we turn and walk towards the palace. She is being nice, I’m worried. “Why did Hades summon you? Shouldn’t you be at camp? He said he wasn’t going to disturb you for a while.” I try to keep my eyebrows from shooting up off my face. Concern from Persephone? Trouble is coming, or she just wants to be rid of me. I can never tell.

I reply “He did, but I think something important came up. He went below.”

Persephone stiffens “Does that mean what I think it means?”

I reply softly “Probably.”

“Do not tell a single soul, do you understand me?”

I nod “I figured.”

She mutters softly “He is so foolish, think he is invincible.” She snaps out “Why didn’t he just call me? I would have come.” I am so not into marriage counseling. And these two need it, believe me.

I reply “Do you care, really? Or are you annoyed he didn’t tell you?”

She turns on me “I care. He is my husband.” Darn, she’s really angry. I step back and bow my head. I have a lot of practice dealing with angry gods.

“I am sorry if I said something wrong. Perhaps this place is getting to me.” My words are designed to invoke sympathy. Again, I have lots of practice with angry gods.

Persephone orders “Return to camp. I will handle the fields. Any relevant information?”

I shrug “I appointed Ethan Nakamura as the new head warden. Otherwise, not really.”

“Goodbye then, Nico.”

I bow “Queen Persephone.” I melt into shadow, arriving inside my cabin. I don’t know if she was being kind, possible because she just came from summer, or just wanted to get rid of me. It doesn’t matter much, because I am back at camp.


	4. Chapter 4

I walk towards the campfire. I stand on the edge, near the shadow, looking for one person. Jason waves to me, I nod back. I don’t see Will though. Jason points to the infirmary. I smile slightly and head to the infirmary.

Will is patching up a couple of Ares kids. They both have burns up to about their elbows. Will is scolding them as he works. “Next time you decide to have a contest to see who can hold their hand in the fire longer, remember that it burns.” He glances up and sees me. “Actually, I have a better deterrent. If you do something like this again, I will have Nico run his sword through you.” They glance around nervously, eyes fixing on me. The girl lets out a squeak and the boy covers his eyes. They are really young for campers, no more than nine or ten. Of course, I thought I was old at that age.

I flop down on a chair. I grumble “Don’t scare the children. I’ve promised not to stab Ares campers for another week.” The kids look at each other with wide eyes and sit perfectly still.

Will raises his eyebrows and finishes bandaging them up, much faster than before. It is apparently easier when the campers aren’t squirming around. Finally he stands up “Okay, you two are good to go. Just don’t get into any more fires. You aren’t Leo Valdez.” The campers nod and scurry out the door.

Will crosses his arms, so I stand up. “Nico,” Will begins “what happened?”

I reply “My father needed help. I went and helped, and then my step-mother showed up and told me to get back to camp. So I’m here. Can you skip the lecture?”

Will sighs like he’s going to explode and I brace for the lecture. But instead, he takes a step towards me and pulls me into a hug. I am stiff and surprised for a second, but I relax and hug him back, just a little. It feels awkward, but I like it when Will touches me. Finally Will steps back, hands on my shoulders. “I was worried about you, Nico. I know you can handle yourself, but…”

I smile softly “It’s in your nature to worry. I get it, Will.” I lean in and kiss him. It is gentle and seems to reassure Will. He calms down, at any rate.

He smiles at me “Let’s get back to the campfire before someone comes looking.” I nod and lace my fingers with his. We walk back to the campfire slowly, not talking but rather enjoying each other’s presence. I think I am even smiling softly.

We take a seat in the back of the group around the campfire. Jason and Piper come over. Jason must be back from building whatever altar he was working on this time. He is really fulfilling his pledge, being a good hero and all. Jason starts “Hey Nico, what happened? I get back to camp and everyone says you got a shadow letter or something.”

I don’t think that requires a reply so I don’t say anything. Will answers for me “He got a summons from his father, and had to do something in the underworld. Nico won’t say what exactly.”

I decide I can tell them. I use my most calm voice “There was a riot in the fields of punishment. Hades had duties that required him to be elsewhere, so he asked me to restore order.”

They are all staring at me. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. I guess putting down riots isn’t a normal demigod activity. I would have thought that a Roman would understand that better. Jason’s mouth is open though. He looks stupid. “Your father sent you a creepy shadow letter so you could go fix a riot?”

I nod a shrug. Will frowns “Isn’t that dangerous?” I glance at him with skepticism in my expression. He throws up his hands “Alright, fine, no lecture. I suppose the dead can’t kill you anyway.” Will notices Jason and Piper wince. “The dead can kill you, can’t they?”

I shrug “Not likely. I’m not very good at dying.” I guess that killed the conversation, because we all just stare at the fire for a few minutes. Somehow, fighting ghosts in the underworld is a whole ton easier than managing a conversation with people that consider themselves my friends. I take Will’s hand. I don’t care who sees. Demigods don’t seem to care that I am gay. No, it’s just the death and destruction that makes them hate me. Death, shadow, and my father.

The next day, I am sitting out by the water. It is late afternoon, and the days are still sunny and hot. Most campers are swimming in the water, trying to cool off. Not me. I sit at the top of the cliff, wearing black and contemplating my future. What do I want to do with my life? Annabeth is studying architecture, Percy marine something or other. Will is going to be a doctor, Jason is an ambassador, and Leo will be a mechanic. What does a child of Hades do? Be an assassin? Maybe I could run a funeral parlor or something. I don’t know what I want to do, but I don’t think that’s it. I don’t really want to work for my father full-time either. I’m not dead yet.

I am startled by a hand shaking my shoulder. I jump up, lashing out and drawing my sword. It’s Piper. I stop my sword inches from her abdomen. I can see the strike I would have completed. A diagonal slice across her middle, then a quick slice back across the throat. I try not to shudder, and I start to sheath my sword. I am about to apologize. But then she starts talking “Nico, put away your sword. Take a deep breath and relax, I am your friend. You can trust me.”

I feel the magical compulsion and lash out “Don’t use your wicked charmspeak on me.” I take a threatening step forward and see the hurt and fear on her face. I turn and run for the cliff. I jump off. It always comes back to the same choice. The decision isn’t too hard this time. The fall to the bottom probably isn’t enough to kill me, and death isn’t all that pleasant. Jason will be annoyed and disappointed, Piper isn’t actually hurt, and they might stop being friends with me, if we were ever friends. But it isn’t the end of the world. I reach the shadow and transport myself to the picnic area. It will be lunch soon.

I know I’m not good company at lunch. I don’t say much. I wince away when Will tries to put his arm around my shoulders. I can feel Jason watching me from across the pavilion. Piper is ignoring me, sitting at the table with all of the annoying Aphrodite kids, but I feel her eyes on me once in a while too. There are a couple of visitors from the roman camp, who sit at the tables of their Greek counterpart or Jason’s table. I don’t smile at lunch. Unless I am genuinely happy, my smile tends to scare people.

As soon as it is polite, Will grabs my hand and drags me off into the woods. “What is wrong with you?” He sounds annoyed.

I shrug. Will shouts “Look at me!” I think I am being frustrating again. I meet his eyes, knowing that the shadows and pains of memory fill them. As if drawn by the pain, he steps closer. With a soft voice and persuading tone he asks “Nico, what happened?”

I reply with polite tones “It is nothing. I just stirred up some old memories.”

Will guesses “Is this about something that happened in the underworld?”

I laugh bitterly “The Underworld is easy. Life is hard.”

Will asks “Does this have something to do with Jason? He was staring at you throughout lunch, and Piper was avoiding eye contact.” I can hear a hint of jealousy, but mostly concern fills his voice. I realize what he thinks, and that gives me enough feeling to let my lips turn up into a grim smile. So totally the wrong idea, but Will always helps me.

I relax my shoulders, and take a seat on the ground. Will sits at an angle from me, where he can see my face, but it doesn’t feel controversial. I begin “Earlier today, I was sitting on the edge of the bluff, you know, where the cliff is really tall?”

Will nods “I saw you there this morning. You looked lost in thought.”

I nod “I was completely lost in thought, so much so that I didn’t notice Piper come up behind me.” I shrug. I think that’s enough of the story.

Will asks “So what happened?”

I laugh bitterly “Do you have to ask? She shook my shoulder, and I almost took her head off.”

Will frowns “You wouldn’t hurt Piper.” I can hear the faint doubt in his voice.

I reply bitterly “Since I was lucky enough to recognize Piper and I had warning from my death sense, I didn’t. But I could have, would have if it had been someone whose face I didn’t immediately recognize.”

Will replies “It’s not your fault Nico. You were just reacting out of instinct, to defend yourself.”

I sigh and ask Will directly “Is that what they’ll say when I accidentally take off some campers head? When I lose my temper, or react out of fright? No, it’ll be that the son of Hades is a murderer.” I can hear the bitterness in my voice and I take a deep breath.

Will thinks for a minute. “Is that why you push everyone away?”

I roll my eyes; we’ve had this conversation before. I reply “I don’t push people away, Will.”

Will replies promptly “You do. Is it so they don’t get hurt?”

I sigh and put my head in my hands. That makes more sense than his previous reasons, but I definitely don’t push people away. They just don’t like to be around me.

Will slides up next to me and wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling my head down so it rests on his shoulder. I let him. It is peaceful in the woods, leaning on my boyfriend, who still doesn’t seem to hate or reject me. I let myself relax, until I hear the angry footsteps. I sit up and feel my hand hover close by my sword. Will starts to ask what is going on, but then he sees Jason through the trees. I pretend not to notice Jason, but that doesn’t work very well.

Jason yells “Di Angelo, in the practice courts, now.” He’s decided to take out his anger in a practice bout, which will draw a huge crowd, which he knows I hate.

Will grabs my arm as I get up “Is that a good idea?”

I shout “Be there in a minute, Jace.” He hates that nickname, unless Piper uses it. I reply to Will “I’ll be fine. Jason is just upset.”

Will crosses his arms “Exactly why you shouldn’t fight him.”

I grin “Why would I worry, when I’m dating the camp’s best medic?”

Will’s features turn dark for a fraction of a second, and if I didn’t know him so well, I would have missed it. He grumbles “Only a fight can make you smile.”

I tease “Stop it, I’ll be fine.” I walk towards the practice courts. Will follows, half a step behind.

When I reach the courts, a crowd is already gathering. Piper is glaring at Jason, annoyed at him. But when she notices me, there is a flash of concern, or fear, perhaps for Jason, maybe for herself. I know I’ve screwed up another relationship. It seems to be the only constant in my life. Death or mistakes are the only way relationships end. I step into the court.

Jason calls “Di Angelo, so nice of you to show up.”

I reply with a  wicked grin “Same to you, Grace.” We start circling. I call back “What are we fighting to?”

Jason replies “Surrender.” I can tell he is really angry. Jason usually prefers to fight to first blood. This’ll be fun. I haven’t fought Jason seriously before.

I wait patiently for the first attack, circling. I fake a tiny waver in concentration, and Jason takes the bait. He jumps and slashes down, but I slide just sideways and deflect his blade with my sword. He is off balance, and I strike. He deflects, and buys himself time to recover. I know my eyes are glinting with amusement, but my face is expressionless from long practice. Jason reestablishes the space between us, his guard back up, but fury in his features. I feel the crowd go silent behind us. They’ve realized in some part of their silly brains that this is more than practice. I remember the crowd, and decide to let this end quickly. A few passes later, Jason disarms me with a neat move. My sword goes skittering across the ground. It would be an honorable defeat.

“I surrender.” It is an apology, but not enough to satisfy Jason.

Jason snarls in a low voice “Get your sword. I want to see you really fight.” I underestimated his anger, and his skill. He knows I was just playing with him, and what he really wants to do now is beat me mercilessly. He wants me to submit before his sword. I feel the fury coming as I retrieve my sword. He has no right to beat me, he is no greater than I. My anger is never far away.

I call “Have it your way, Grace.” He attacks, supplementing his jump with the wind. I let the icy calm slip over me, the connection with my sword becomes the only feeling I have, and my only awareness the battle. I know from observations by others that my eyes are terrifying, but they don’t faze Jason. I deflect his first attack and take a step back, just as I did the first time. But he overextends, and I cut a shallow slice down his arm. First blood is mine.

I see the change come over Jason. He begins to move faster, stronger, the taste of defeat propelling him. I will crush him. My sword drinks in every contact with his golden blade. He cuts a shallow slice in my leg. I feel my blood hit the earth, and ignore it. Not even a wince of pain crosses my features. I genuinely attack for the first time, and the battle shifts. The shadows glimmer around my sword, and the lightning flickers around his gold blade. We clash again and again. I ignore several more wounds. Finally, he locks our blades, thinking me weak. He has height, but I never submit. I wrap a foot behind his leg and push. He lets go of the sword to keep his balance, and I level the blade at his throat. Our eyes lock, and the world freezes. The crowd comes back into my perception, but I wait for Jason.

Finally he drops his eyes. I sheath my sword and offer my hand. He takes it with a hint of reluctance. “Good fight, Jason.” His expression becomes inscrutable. I nod and smile “I’ll see you later.” I walk off the field, the crowd parting for me. I feel Piper’s eyes on me, but she focuses on Jason. I head straight for the infirmary. Somehow, I know that’s where Will is.

I walk in the door and sit on the bed, waiting. Eventually Will comes over. I ask “When did you leave?”

He asks “You didn’t notice?” I shake my head and wince. Will rushes over and starts inspecting my various scrapes. He mutters “This is deep. Jason was really trying to hurt you, hmm.” I wait as he gets his sewing kit. I knew the cut on my leg was deep, but not that bad. Will mutters “You’ve lost at least a liter of blood. Dizziness, nausea, anything?”

I shake my head with a slight smile “I’m fine.”

Will lays out a bunch of bandages. He answers my question from earlier “I left when you started actually fighting. Jason pushed too far?”

I shrug, messing up the bandage. I try to stay still. Will comments “The first surrender was a sort of apology? Or was I misreading that?”

I feel a little surprise at that. I reply “I suppose it was.”

Will comments “The fight changed after that. Jason started using the winds, and you moved much faster. It looked like you were really trying to kill each other. I hope you didn’t call on your magic.”

I reply “I didn’t need my magic. I wasn’t trying to kill Jason, really.”

Will’s expression is more animated and his voice rises, but his hands remain gentle. “But Jason was trying to kill you.”

I shrug, despite my earlier resolve not to mess up any more of the bandages. Will adds “You’re the better swordsman.”

I counter “I had the clearer head. I don’t lie to myself about fighting. Jason does.”

Will frowns, “Stay absolutely still, I’m going to sew up your leg. But explain what you mean.”

I explain “A large part of fighting is psychological. You need to understand what you want, and what your opponent wants in order to win. The first part, before I surrendered, I thought Jason wanted to be proved right, I thought he wanted an apology. That seemed reasonable to me. I hate losing, but there is no shame in losing to a hero like Jason Grace.”

Will replies “Keep going, I’m paying attention, I promise. I ignore the pain of the needle weaving in and out of my flesh.

I continue “Jason was right to demand an apology, so I was not all that motivated to win.”

Will asks “What changed?”

I restrain my shrug and say “My apology wasn’t enough. Jason was angry, and wanted me to submit. There was absolutely no way that was going to happen. I can apologize, I can be tricked, I can be held to a promise, but I cannot submit to brute force. So it would have been a straight on struggle, him and me, just our strengths against each other. But Jason would never admit to himself that he wanted me to submit. He believed that he was forcing an apology, defending Piper, or something heroic.”

Will challenges “If that is the case, and you can psychoanalyze people like that, why do you seem to struggle with a normal conversation?”

I shrug, pulling the bandage. Will sighs. I answer “Because people aren’t trying to kill me in a normal conversation? I don’t know.” Another camper walks into the infirmary.

Will asks “So you’re saying Jason isn’t a hero?”

I shrug. I don’t like talking in front of strangers. I wait until the camper leaves with a Band-Aid and reply “He is a hero. Give him a heroic task to believe in, a challenge from the gods, or someone to rescue, and he’ll triumph. Ask him to pursue a vendetta, he’d crumple.”

Will replies “You wouldn’t.” It sounds like an accusation. I don’t want to argue with Will right now, so I shrug, ignoring the pain. Will sits next to me on the infirmary bed. He switches back to doctor mode. “I want you to stay here tonight. I don’t want you moving that leg for a few hours, I want the stitches to heal properly.

I complain “You could just give me nectar and ambrosia, and I’d be on my way in ten minutes.” Will just smiles mysteriously. It’s sort of obvious, but I pretend that I don’t realize he makes up bogus reasons to make me stay in the infirmary, and he acts like he doesn’t know I know what he is doing. If that isn’t a complicated relationship, I don’t know what is.


	5. Chapter 5

After my late night talk with Will, I feel like I owe Piper an apology. Will wanted me to apologize to Jason. I probably won’t. It takes me a while, but I eventually find Piper when she isn’t around Jason or the Aphrodite campers. Piper doesn’t annoy me much, but the rest of the cabin I treat like lice. I make sure she sees me approaching; she’s sharpening her knife, which is why she is alone. It makes an awful noise. I sit down across from her.

She speaks “Nico.” She doesn’t seem to know what to say.

I start “Piper, I want to apologize for scaring you yesterday. I acted badly, and I’m sorry.” I realize I used the exact words Bianca made me memorize for apologies, and I feel a pang at the memory. But I push it away; I’m done with that.

Piper sighs and puts down the sharpening stone. She replies “Nico, it’s okay. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me or scare me. I didn’t realize you would react so badly to being surprised, but I didn’t consider…” She trails off, not wanting to say something offensive. I recognize the look.

I add “I’m also sorry for insulting you.”

She winces. “Nico, is that what you actually think of me?”

I shake my head “No, I just hate magical compulsion of any type.”

 Piper nods “So basically as long as I don’t sneak up on you, and I don’t try to charmspeak you, you won’t try to take off my head with the scary sword of yours?”

I allow a hint of my smile to show. “Basically. I’ll also try not to nod off on hillsides.” I start to shift towards getting up. Piper picks up the sharpening stone and hesitates. I wait.

“Nico,” She begins “What were you thinking of?” I sigh. I owe her an honest answer. At my hesitation she adds “You don’t have to tell me.”

I give her a tired smile “The future.”

“What do you mean?”

“What does a son of Hades do when he isn’t frightening people?”

Piper questions “What do you mean?”

I state “The last son of Hades to walk the earth was Hitler. If I don’t die an early tragic death, which is the most common fate for children of my father, what do I do?”

Piper frowns “Whatever you want.”

I raise an eyebrow in an ironic expression. “Whatever I want. Piper, can you do whatever you want? Can anyone?”

She shrugs “Well, unless I want a career in the public spotlight, I can do whatever. I mean, I probably won’t be an architect like Annabeth, I don’t have the grades, but I’m not really limited.”

I reply “I haven’t been to school since…” I have to pause and think. “Since Percy and the Hunters showed up for my sister and me.”

“You should go to school this year, then.”

I shrug “Where and why? What would I go to school for anyway? What can a son of Hades do in the real world? Perhaps I could run a funeral parlor.”

Piper winces “Nico, don’t do that.”

“What, run a funeral parlor?” I am joking, but I doubt she can tell.

“You can accomplish something. I’m sure there’s some talent you have.” Piper sounds sincere, surprisingly. I knew she was different from the other children of Aphrodite.

“Piper, I’m very good at surviving, killing things and raising the dead. I don’t think any of those will really get me a job. Thank you for talking to me and listening.” I see Jason approaching quickly, a concerned look on his face. “We are good, right?”

She smiles, a polite strained smile “Yeah, Nico, we’re fine.” We shake hands, and I leave before Jason can reach us.

I turn the corner as I hear Jason ask Piper “What was that about?”

I pause and listen to Piper reply “He apologized for scaring me.” She interrupts him “No, he didn’t say anything about you. I don’t know why you felt so obligated to defend me. You shouldn’t take your anger out on that poor kid.”

I let a small cynical smile cross my face. I’m a poor kid now? Maybe I should apologize to people more often and see if I can collect cookies. Jason echoes my thoughts “Don’t underestimate Nico di Angelo. He’s one of the most powerful demigods probably ever.”

Piper replies “Yeah, and he beat you sword fighting, even though you were using the winds for assistance.” Jason replies sarcastically and they laugh together. I walk away.

It is the last week of summer, and the campers are pretty much all returning to their normal homes. Only a few stay the whole year. Will is leaving early tomorrow morning, and I have promised to spend time with him so I head to the archery range, where he told me I could meet him. Will is terrible at archery, despite being a son of Apollo.

I walk up to him and say hi. Will drops his bow, and the quiver of arrows clatters to the ground.

He shouts “Nico, don’t do that!”

I raise an eyebrow “Ever heard of spatial awareness? Also, don’t drop your weapon.”

Will scowls, but picks up the bow and arrows and keeps practicing. It is painful to watch. He has gotten better, but he only hits the target about half the time. I ask “Why are you so terrible at archery again?”

Will replies sarcastically “I don’t know, maybe because it’s a useless skill.” I roll my eyes. He challenges “I bet you couldn’t shoot a bow.”

I reply “I’m pretty good, but you ought to be better. How do you defend yourself against monsters?”

Will replies straight-faced “I run.”

 I think he’s joking for a second, but then I realize he is serious. I challenge “Really? Four years at camp and you still run from monsters?”

Will nods “I run and hide my scent. I get injured a lot less.”

I shake my head and state “I hope you never run into smart or dangerous monsters.”

Will smiles “That’s okay. I’ll just call you, and you can show up and rescue me. Wouldn’t you love that?” He’s teasing me, and I really don’t know how to respond, so I just kind of stand there. I’ve had enough complicated social interaction for one day.  Will sighs “I won’t get any better today, so let’s go enjoy the beach. Come on.” He puts away the bow and takes my hand. I follow him down to the beach. The sun does feel nice, not that I would ever admit that to anyone.

 


	6. Chapter 6

It is the day after summer ended, and I’m bored. The camp feels empty, not that it bothers me. I have more time and space to myself to train. I ignore the little voice that questions what I’m training for as I summon another enemy. I’ve found that most spirits that die by the sword are willing to return to fight again. I’ve learned much from fighting the dead, as well as a great many monsters. My focus is pretty absolute, but I notice Jason watching eventually. As I return my last enemy, I turn to Jason. I just stare at him. Usually, if you don’t talk the other person feels compelled to break the silence.

Jason must be feeling uncomfortable because he challenges “Can you only fight with that sword? What happens if you lose it?”

I grab two celestial bronze knives from the table and put my sword down. I summon another zombie fighter. We duel with the knives for a while, but I defeat him pretty resoundingly. I replace the knives and strap on my sword. I cross my arms and ask “Why are you here, Jason?” I lean against the table. We are about seven feet apart, not optimal for conversation.

Jason looks uncertain, a rare occurrence for him. “I just wanted to ask how you were doing.”

I reply dryly “I’m doing well.” I wait patiently.

“Look, Nico, I just wanted to say that I hope I didn’t hurt you or anything with the duel thing last week. I just didn’t expect…” I keep my face expressionless. Jason stumbles on “Well… I guess I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

I nod “Apology accepted. I’m fine.” Then because I actually care somewhat about Jason I add “I understand that you were upset, I even understand challenging me, but you just took it too far for me to be comfortable. You know I hate being forced into corners.” I shut my mouth.

Jason looks like he feels guilty. “I’m sorry Nico, really. I just don’t understand how you beat me.” Ha. That’s what this is really about. He can’t understand why he lost.

I laugh, a sound that makes people uncomfortable. “Jason, you have to understand what you are fighting for before you can win a battle. Also, don’t cheat. It makes me very angry.” I meet his eyes, and watch him shift back.

“I wasn’t cheating.”

“Wind is a variable thing, I suppose, but usually it doesn’t lift demigods into the air.”

Jason crosses his arms. “Okay, Nico, I’m sorry. But how did you win?”

I roll my eyes “Jason, there’s no secret formula. And if you had accepted my surrender the first time, it would have been fine.”

“But you weren’t really trying.”

“I was, but I understood why you were angry. I didn’t really want to win.”

“So what changed?”

I let amusement fill my face “I got angry, Jason. You wanted to prove you were better. Unfortunately for you, being a hero and all, you can’t admit that to yourself. So I won. Always know what you want to get out of a fight. I didn’t want to lose, so I didn’t.”

Jason takes a full step back that time. “Okay, Nico, I’m sorry and everything.”

I reply “I’ve already accepted the apology. Have a nice day.” I walk away. I think that went pretty well. Maybe I’m getting better at social interactions.

I enjoy my feeling of satisfaction for only a few minutes before a black flower blooms directly in front of me. I curse; it is a summons from Persephone. I know from experience that it does no good to walk past; the flower will simply continue to bloom in my path. I pick the flower gingerly because it might just be poisonous. In the center of the flower, I see Persephone. Like a reflection, she speaks “Nico, return to your father’s palace. This is of crucial, absolute importance. Don’t make me come get you. It is really important this time.”

I sigh and return to my cabin, grabbing my new leather jacket in preparation for the trip. I melt into the shadow, appearing in the reception room. Persephone is waiting. Either I’m in trouble or it is actually important. Her last crucial issue had me pulling weeds for three days, so I am a little skeptical. I bow “Queen Persephone, what can I help you with?”

She gestures “Come with me.” I follow her. She dismisses her attendants and we sit inside a comfortable room. This room is green and white and blue, with pretty pink and yellow accents. It looks unlike the rest of Hades’s palace, which is black with bronze or showing off incredible wealth. My roman sister Hazel got the riches. I just got the death magic. Persephone and I sit on the blue couches. I wait. Persephone says “Your father hasn’t returned from his trip below.”

I reply “Is everything well up here?”

She shrugs “Yes, fine. I can manage the realm nearly as well as Hades, but he’s never been away for so long. The shades are beginning to speculate.” I can’t get a good read on Persephone, but I think she might actually be concerned about Hades. How surprising.

I question “What would you like me to do about it?”

Persephone looks so young, so innocent and concerned that I am sure she is manipulating me. “Nico, could you go look for you father? He shouldn’t be away from his home for so long.”

Persephone wants me to go back to Tartarus to look for my father.

I explode “You’re kidding me. You want me to go back into the pit?”

Persephone looks so forlorn. “Nico, please sit down.” I didn’t even realize that I stood. “I am sure that your father is in trouble. I have told him not to go down there, but he never listens.”

I cross my arms and demand “How is that my problem?”

Persephone replies with a hint of anger “He’s your father, and he needs help.”

I shoot back “The last time you said my father needed help, it led to my defying all of the gods, including my father.”

Persephone makes a dismissive gesture “The sword was different. Besides, it saved all of you.” I wait. “Look, Nico, I know you care about your father. I think that you really want to help him too.”

I argue “He’s a god. He doesn’t need help.”

Persephone counters “I am proof that he does need help, sometimes.”

“Why don’t you rescue him?” In some part of my brain, I am questioning why she hasn’t vaporized me yet.

Persephone sighs “I cannot venture into the pit. Like a flower, I can hide in the shadow beneath the earth for part of the year, but the pit would shred my essence. I would never return, like a seed buried too deep.” She pauses, then adds imploringly “Nico, please. Your father and I need your help right now. All you have to do is check on him and make sure he is okay.”

“If he’s wearing the helm, how will I find him?”

“It doesn’t work as well in the pit. You’ll find him easily enough. The sooner you leave the better. I fear Hades does not have much time.” Persephone would make really good Lady Macbeth. I think she would do anything for Hades, as long as he is guaranteed to not appreciate it. Kill the King? Sure dear husband. Blackmail a demigod? If it will help you in any way Lord Macbeth, absolutely. Make an illegal weapon? I was just trying to help.

I guess I’ll go help my father. I mean, Persephone will make my life hell if I don’t.

And that is how I managed to get an express ride to Tartarus again. I must be crazy. I nearly went insane the first time, and it took me almost a year to recover fully. Well, if I can avoid the jar and pomegranate seeds this time, I should be okay.

It is almost easy to find my father. I just follow the twitter among the monsters. Apparently Koios, Titan of something or other, probably one of the compass points, has captured a god. I just stick to the shadows and try not to step hard on the surface of the pit. I avoid monsters instead of fighting them. I really don’t want attention. Being back here is nauseating, but I am better at not seeing the truth of this place. Self-deception is something that usually gets you killed, but it might keep me alive this time.

By careful shadow travel, I am able to determine that my father is lashed in the center of Koios’s little army. Apparently the Titans and Giants wage wars against each other within the pit. That truly sounds like hell: never ceasing war, monster against monster. I suppose we are fortunate because if they all got out the world would choke and die. No one seems to have realized that I am here yet. That is a very good thing. Perhaps I can simply free my father and leave as quickly as possible. That would be good, before I go insane. I wait a little, until I see a number of monsters leave, perhaps on an expedition or something. I sneak into the cave where they are holding my father. I kill the guards, some sort of vampires, and approach my father. He looks terrible. I start to cut the bonds on his wrists.

Hades jerks up “Nico, what the hell are you doing here?”

“Persephone.” I finished cutting one wrist, onto the next.

“That woman is going to be the death of me.”

“Literally or figuratively.” I say it flat, as a statement.

“Both, probably. My sword is on the table over there. Koios stole my helm, and is using it to beat one of his brothers, I think Hyperion.” I bring Hades his sword. He slices the bonds on his feet. He adds “Now, Nico, get out of here. Tartarus is not a place for mortals, demigod or not.”

I reply “Gladly, but if I return without you, Persephone will probably turn me into a flower.”

“No, she won’t. She only does that if she is pleased with people. She’ll probably turn you into grass.” Now I can’t tell if he is joking. He straightens up, some of the weariness fading from his shoulders. “Thank you, son. Now get out of here. Tell my wife I’m fine.” I prepare to leave, but then the entrance of the cave is beset with monsters. I draw my sword and stand back to back with my father.

The monsters are about typical. Hordes and hordes of strange shapes, real legs, fake legs, 2 legs, ten legs, poison, teeth, fangs, claws, impenetrable hide, prickly hide, green eyes, glowing eyes, and probably more. They can only come at us a few at a time, because of the cave mouth. The feeling of fighting back to back with my father is cool. We are so closely in sync, each knowing exactly when the other will strike and block, two mirror images. It freaks the monsters, which is fun. But then the flow of monsters stops.

A giant silver hand reaches into the cave and pulls us out. A voice booms “Tell my brother I have taken his prisoner. I have a grievance to settle.” I almost don’t recognize the giant figure striding across the apparent plain of Tartarus. I have to close my eyes because I really don’t like heights. I’m deceiving myself again, so I don’t think on the true form of Tartarus. A ways later I hear the giant’s feet go squish. I risk a glance down and see a swamp. I close my eyes and I feel myself being set down. I quickly stand, drawing my sword. The silver giant shrinks a little, and I recognize him. “Bob, you’re not dead.”

He replies in a dark tone “Don’t be so disappointed, Nico. Owie.” He reaches out and heals the nasty scrape that I picked up. I’m pretty sure it was infected with monster venom. It gives me hope that all of the hours I spent making him my friend are not in vain.

I reply “Percy and Annabeth will be so excited. They were afraid that you might not come back.”

Bob replies “I am Iapetus, Lord of the West. Not that there is a west down here.”

I shrug “No, you’re Bob, my friend. Don’t you remember?”

Bob looks confused for a second “My brother Hyperion told me I was tricked into the river Lethe, and that gave me false memories.”

My father catches on “No, those aren’t false memories. You really did work as a janitor in my palace.” Or maybe he didn’t catch on.

Bob (or Iapetus) yells “I AM NOT A JANITOR.”

I cover my ears “Okay, Bob, we get it. But you are still my friend. Remember your other friends, Percy and Annabeth? You saved them when they got stuck down here. You saved the world.” I am trying to be upbeat and convince Bob that we are his friends. Maybe my father could take him down, but I would rather get my friend back, especially if he is a Titan.

Bob looks uncertain “My brother said I was misled. He said I should kill my false friends.”

I chime in, pretending to be sure of myself. “You don’t kill your friends. Besides, your brother was the one misleading you.”

“My brother wouldn’t lie to me.” Bob sounds indignant.

Hades adds “He did lie to you. Hyperion wanted you to cause a distraction at Koios’s camp so he could destroy his base. He’s probably circling around with his army right now.”

Bob seems to deflate. He sits on the ground with a thud. “Bob says friends shouldn’t betray. Iapetus says that brothers are supposed to backstab. I think I like Bob better.”

I channel my best Percy. “Then just be Bob. You can choose which you like.”

Hades adds “And you don’t even have to be a janitor anymore.” Apparently my father needs to learn more about positive encouragement. Not that I’m any good at being positive, but still. Sometimes talking is the best way out of a sticky situation, but fighting is easier.

Bob gets up again “I will ask my giant friend. He is smarter than Bob.” Bob picks us up again, this time being more careful, so I feel a bit less squished. I close my eyes. I’ve been in Tartarus less than three hours, but my throat burns, and my eyes hurt. I am unbearably thirsty despite the water bottle I stuffed in my pocket. I have a few squares of ambrosia, but I’m saving that for emergencies. The atmosphere stings bringing out blisters and swelling. I wonder why my father hasn’t assumed a bigger form. Maybe he’s waiting for an opportune moment. I can’t imagine it would be more opportune after we meet a giant. One god and demigod versus a titan is okay odds, but against a titan and a giant, not so good.

Bob puts us down. The ground squishes uncomfortably. I open my eyes. I can see a cabin that is either Titan or giant sized. A large figure comes to the door. He radiates bitterness, and is bright red. I recognize the bones spread around. I think this is where Annabeth’s new sword came from. My father grows in size. It is a little disconcerting, to suddenly be surrounded by huge beings. I fight the desire to hide and slip into the shadow.

My father speaks “Damasen.” He slightly inclined his head.

The giant replies “Lord Hades. Why are you here?”

My father replies “Bob brought us.”

Damasen questions “I thought Iapetus was going to kill you.”

Bob comments “I was going to. But Nico reminded me that we are friends. He was a better friend that the other one, Percy, I think. But the girl was nicer, and smarter.” I think he means Annabeth. I can’t disagree with that assessment.

I hear a slight sound behind me, and while I am turning and drawing my sword, I get knocked flat. I feel a claw open up a large scratch as I hit my head and go unconscious.

I wake up feeling drowsy. My head hurts, and I can feel bandage on my side. I see my father. I ask “What happened?”

He replies “You got attacked by Damasen’s pet drakon. I’m sending you to where you’ll heal fastest. I just wanted to be sure you were awake before shadow traveling. It’s dangerous to send anything through shadows unconscious. You really shouldn’t have tried to rescue me. I’ve sent Persephone a note. Get better, Nico.”

My skin burns, my throat hurts, my head aches because I think I have a concussion, and my side is throbbing with pain. I think my father’s right. Tartarus is not a good place for mortals. I feel myself dissolving into shadow. It occurs to me that I have no idea where I am going. But that’s okay. I let my father’s power carry me. I must be delirious if I think that is a good idea.


	7. Chapter 7

I feel myself materialize out of the shadow. I can see a light above me. It looks really bright and I close my eyes. Everything goes black again.

I come around again. I am vaguely aware that I am lying in a bed. It feels soft. I look up, the lights are turned off but the room is still too bright. I close my eyes for a minute to let them readjust then look at the ceiling. It is white, and boring. I’m not in my cabin at camp half-blood. I turn my head to look at the wall and everything blurs and my head throbs in pain. I stay still and wait for it to pass. Eventually the throbbing dies down and the room clears. It is not somewhere I recognize. There are random posters and decorations on the walls, but I can’t read them. The colors are cool, though. Actually, the whole room has a light color scheme. I wonder where I am. I feel the blackness overtaking me again. I fight to stay awake, but it isn’t happening.

Again, I wake up. The room is darker. This time there is someone there. I see blond hair and blue eyes, but the face is fuzzy. The person gets up. She says something “I’ll get Will and tell him you are awake.” I don’t really hear more than Will. Does that mean I’m at his house? How did that happen? I don’t think I’ve been here before.

Will comes flying into the room “Nico!” he exclaims. I cover my ears. My head really hurts. Will continues “Are you awake?”

I reply “What do you think?”

He puts his hand on my forehead “Your fever is down. How are you feeling?”

I want to say that my head hurts, but what comes out is “Ouch. Stupid drakon.”

“Dragon?”

I would shake my head, but that would hurt. “Drakon. Jumped on me when I wasn’t looking.”

Will looks worried “Nico, you should pay more attention. Where were you?”

I don’t think I should say anything, but I say “The Pit, stupid Persephone. My head hurts, and you are fuzzy. Is there water?”

Will brings me water in a glass with a  funny colored straw. He asks “So your step-mom sent you to the pit. Why?”

I don’t even know what I’m saying at this point. The pain is way too strong. “Hades vanished, poof! And flowery goddess made me find him.”

Will looks amused but also concerned “Nico, I think you should go back to sleep.”

I try to nod, but the motion causes me to black out.

The next time I wake up, there is a bowl of soup next to me. I sit up, noticing that my head hurts a lot less. I cross my legs and start eating the soup. A woman comes into the room. She has curly hair and pretty eyes. She seems really calm, and looks like Will. I think she’s his mom. She asks “Nico, how are you feeling?”

I shrug “Better.” The soup is really good.

She continues “I’m Will’s mom. He’s at school right now but should be home in a couple of hours. He said that I’m to tell you that you aren’t allowed to walk around or leave.”

I look down “I’m sorry for just landing here like that. Believe me, that wasn’t my idea.”

“How did you end up here? Will doesn’t answer my questions about you at all.”

I reply “Shadow travel. It’s either my father’s idea of a joke, or he wasn’t thinking clearly.”

Will’s mom looks confused. “Nico, Will doesn’t tell me much about you. I assume you’re a demigod, but who is your father?”

I shrug again. “Hades.”

“Isn’t he the god of the underworld? Like he’s dead and all?”

I frown “He’s not dead. That’s only Osiris in Egyptian mythology.”

“Okay. Isn’t he married?”

I shrug “Yes, my step-mother is very irritating.” I finish my bowl of soup, set it down and yawn. Will’s mom, I suppose I should call her Ms. Solace, takes the hint and tells me to get some rest. I wait until her footsteps go away before getting up and standing. My legs feel weak, but they hold my weight. My head spins, but I lean on the bed until the blurriness goes away again. Then I tiptoe over to the door. I open it a crack and glance both ways. Excellent, I think the bathroom is that way. I wander around for a bit before I find the bathroom. Then, not really wanting to go back to the bed, I sneak to the front porch and sit on the nice comfy couch.

I am woken by Will. “Nico, I told you to stay in bed.” I sit up and rub my eyes. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep. Anyone could have done anything to me, although I did notice when Will walked up. I just suppose I feel safe here. Will drops his backpack on the ground and sits next to me. I lean in when he wraps his arm around me. He comments “I suppose you are feeling better then, if you are wandering around. Did my mom at least tell you not to?”

I reply “Yes. I waited until she walked away.”

Will asks “So tell me what happened. I got a general idea, but you were running a fever and being nonsensical.”

I reply “Persephone summoned me to the underworld because my father hadn’t come back from his trip to the pit. She made me go after him. He had gotten captured by Koios, and his helm was stolen. I freed him and we got sort of rescued by Bob and taken to Damasen. While I was watching them talk, Damasen’s stupid drakon jumped on me. I woke up and my father said he was sending me to where I would heal best. I arrived on your porch, I think. What day is it?”

Will replies “It’s the day before Halloween.”

I reply “October 30. How long have I been here?”

Will replies “About a week and a half. I was worried at first, but you were slowly getting better.”

I frown “So I lost almost two months to Tartarus. I thought I was only there a day or two. Time does pass strangely there. It also explains why there are so many ghosts.” I lean on Will. It is really comfortable. He says something, but I am already asleep.

 I wake up back in the bed Will put me in. I get up slowly. I feel much better. My head hurts only a little, and my side where I got sliced feels much stronger, but I know it will probably be sore for a while. I heal quickly, fortunately. When I get up, I don’t feel dizzy and my vision isn’t blurry. I consider it a great accomplishment. I’m starving, so I go looking for food. I come upon Will and his mother in the kitchen. They seem to be arguing. I pause around the corner and listen. They are speaking quite loudly.

Will is protesting “Mom. He’ll be fine in a few days, really.”

She complains “You didn’t tell me that your boyfriend was a child of the Underworld. You know that bad things happen to them.”

I can tell Will is annoyed “Mom, he’s a great kid. Sure, he’s had bad luck in his life, but he’s a good person.”

“He’s pale, like he’s already dead. Besides, what type of friend shows up injured on your doorstep?”

“A good friend. And he claims that it wasn’t his idea, which I believe only because he is too stubborn to ask for help when he needs it. Also, he’s not dead.” Will sounds exasperated.

I retreat back down the hall then make my footsteps loud as I approach the kitchen again. I knock on the door and come in. “Hi Will. Hi Ms. Solace. How is it going? Do you have any food?”

Will grins “Sure, Nico. We’re just about to have breakfast. Would you like coffee?”

I look at him sideways “I don’t think coffee is a great idea. I’d probably bounce down the road.”

Ms. Solace asks “Tea, then? Or hot chocolate?”

I smile “Either would be fine, if it isn’t an imposition.” I was well trained in manners from a young age. My mother must have thought they were important.

Will’s mom asks “Nico, do you have any relatives? I know your godly parent is Hades, but where is your mother?” If I hadn’t been eavesdropping, I probably would have left then.

I try not to let my eyes turn scary but I don’t think it is working so I look down. I really don’t want to annoy Will’s mom. I feel Will wince at her question. I reply “She died a few years ago.”

Ms. Solace seems surprised “Oh, I’m sorry. Do you have any other family?”

I know she isn’t trying to be insensitive, but I look up. “My older sister died saving another demigod. My younger sister is a centurion at Camp Jupiter.”

She seems to not notice the anger glimmering in my eyes. “So who looks after you?”

I reply “I live at camp Half-Blood most of the time. My father takes an interest, but I take care of myself for the most part.” I left out my usual line about the dead guiding me. I have a feeling it wouldn’t help much.

Ms. Solace seems concerned now. “How old are you, Nico?”

“Sixteen.”

She seems reflective “About a year younger than Will. He just turned seventeen.”

I smile “We had a party at camp.” I see Will shaking his head behind her as he makes hot chocolate.

Will mom looks at him “Will, you had a party at camp?”

Will shrugs “It was just something my siblings put on for fun.”

Ms. Solace glances at me a raises an eyebrow. I see where Will got that expression. “Was that the case, Nico?”

I reply “More or less. There was music, and fireworks, and flowers being thrown, and stuff. It was supposed to be a surprise, but someone was eavesdropping.”

Will complains “You were being secretive. I had to find out what was going on.”

I shoot back “I’m always secretive. How can you tell the difference?”

Will shakes his head as he sits down and passes me a hot drink “You can’t keep secrets from me. I won’t permit it.” I roll my eyes and take a sip of the drink. I can definitely feel that Will’s mom has relaxed. Still, I will leave as soon as Will lets me.

It turns out that the next day is Sunday, so Will and I go for a hike outside. It is chilly, but not enough so that I need a coat. The cold doesn’t bother me the way it used to. We walk through the woods, holding hands when the trail permits. After a while of nothing more than silly chit-chat, which I rarely indulge in, I apologize “Will, I’m sorry for just showing up like that.”

He replies “Like you said, you were injured and your father sent you.”

I reply “I don’t think my father even knows I’m dating anyone. I’m not sure why I ended up here and not at camp.”

“Nico, don’t worry about it. You are welcome at my house anytime.”

I shrug “I don’t want to worry your mom.”

Will stops and stares at me “Nico, were you eavesdropping.”

I reply “Maybe a little.”

Will throws his hands up like he’s the Italian, not me. “Nico, you should stop eavesdropping! It is a terrible habit.”

I respond “Now you’ve scared away the birds. Besides, it is incredibly helpful.”

Will challenges “How?”

I reply “It kept me from getting as annoyed at your mom yesterday.”

“Yeah, I thought you were going to give her one of your killer glares.”

I comment “If I had, I would probably have been written off as a troubled child.”

Will sighs “Nico, sometimes I can’t figure you out. Did you just admit to manipulating my mom based on a conversation you overheard?”

I frown “Why would I do that?”

Will protests “I thought you had trouble with social interactions.”

I shrug “I do, when I’m being honest.”

Will questions “So as long as you are manipulating people, you are good?”

I reply “If there is a point to the conversation or something I’m trying to accomplish, I can manage. If I don’t know why I’m having the conversation I tend to shut down. I know that isn’t normal, and I’m trying to figure out how to just talk with friends, but friends are still a new concept for me.” Will frowns so I add “You’re the exception. It’s easy to talk with you.” That gets me one of Will’s brilliant smiles. And a kiss.


	8. Chapter 8

A couple days later, Will decrees that I am well enough to return to camp. I have mostly convinced his mom that I am just a poor child that lost his mother and sister, but manages fine on his own. Will and I decided not to tell her I was born in the 1930’s or that I spoke fluent Italian, even if it is a bit outdated. Anyway, I arrive back at camp just before lunch.

I appear just outside my cabin and go in. I find my extra black leather jacket and go to the dining pavilion. I notice a group of new campers. It is unusual for new campers to arrive in the winter, but it does happen. I’m really supposed to sit at my table alone, but no one pays attention to those rules in the winter, there just aren’t enough campers. I sit with Jason. He’s looking the other way. I give him about a minute before he notices I’ve sat down across from him. I walk quietly out of habit, but it does have the added benefit of being able to scare people all the time.

I don’t know most of the campers by name, but I recognize their faces. That’s how I knew there were new campers. I survey the other tables. It seems that there is a new camper at the Hebe table. I can tell he has only recently been claimed because he still looks speculatively at the scars on Paolo’s arms. They got cut off in the three legged race a while ago. There’s two new campers at the Hermes table, both are quite young. One looks like he might be a Hermes camper, but the other doesn’t fit with the rest although he seems to be having a good time. He’s young, maybe as young as 8 or 9. Then he looks at me, and the eyes. For a split second, I see darkness and shadow. It is unsettling in a child’s eyes. Then his eyes seem normal, and I am sure it is only my imagination.

Jason notices me “Nico! Don’t sneak up on me like that. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I smirk “How do you know I haven’t? There could be one sitting next to you right now.”

Jason glances around nervously then realizes I’m just messing with him. He leans forward “Nico, where have you been? You went missing for nearly two months. Any other camper and we would have sent out search parties.”

I cross my arms “Am I not worthy of search parties?”

Jason gets exasperated “Nico, that’s not what I mean.”

I smile just a little bit. One of the perks of camp half-blood is driving up Jason’s blood pressure. I summon a mug of tea with a wave of my hand and lean back to sip it. I tell my story “So I was summoned by Persephone, wonderful goddess and all, because she wanted me to go rescue my father. He didn’t really need rescuing, but I didn’t want to be turned into a flower, so off I went. I fought a bunch of monsters with my dad, and everything was going fine until I got jumped on by a drakon. My father sent me to Will’s house to heal, although I don’t know how he even knows I’m dating Will. Anyway, when I got better, I came back here. Will hadn’t told his mother that I was a child of Hades. She thought he was dating the son of some benign god or goddess.”

Jason frowns “Nico, your dad isn’t evil.”

I shake my head “No, but would you want your child dating someone from the underworld, especially when they show up dying on your doorstep?”

Jason shrugs and changes topic “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk so much, or admit you are dating Will without blushing. What happened?”

I roll my eyes “Oh, I’ll stop talking shortly, don’t worry. I figured I would have to talk less if I answered all your questions first.” I was only talking because I am pretty sure I don’t want people knowing I went to Tartarus again. Jason could keep secrets, but what he knows usually propagates throughout the demigod world. We sit in silence for a minute then I ask “What god have you built stuff for now? Any more ridiculous action figures?”

Jason complains “Will you never let me live that down?” I keep a straight face and don’t reply. Jason continues “I finally built the shrine to Percy’s evil sister. She’s happy and has promised not to destroy any more ships near me, for a while.”

I murmur “That sounds like a very vague promise.”

Jason snorts “It was. But I owed her, and now she should be less inclined to topple Olympus. She really just wanted attention.” I heard that story last year, and I want to try out a theory I have about that.

I ask “You saved Percy, right?”

Jason replies “Yes, it was sort of funny. Shoot, I promised Percy I wouldn’t tell anyone that. Nico!”

I flash him a quick smile, and he sits back. I think his expression reads shocked and surprised, but I’m not sure why. Fortunately, Chiron calls “New Campers, I would like to direct your attention to another one of our senior campers, Nico di Angelo. He does occasionally go missing for large periods of time, so please don’t follow his example in that regard, but if you need anything be sure to go to him for help. Nico, please stand.” I obey reluctantly, skewering Chiron with a glare. He pretends to not notice. I scowl at the campers, sending a silent message not to ask me for anything. Chiron finishes “Now enjoy your lunch!” I sit back down, summon food, get up and scrape some into the fire, and sit down and eat. I’m famished. Nothing tastes like camp food.

In the winter, we don’t sit outside and enjoy the fire. Instead, everyone packs into the lounge in the big house and we light the fire in the fireplace. I see Hestia sitting on a small chair right close to the fire. I sit next to her and wait. You only see Hestia if she is testing you or wants to talk to you. Finally she begins “Nico, you are very strong and brave, but you have a greater challenge ahead. It will not be enough to be strong and brave. You will have to be compassionate and kind. You are capable, but you will have to work hard.”

I bow my head “Thank you, great lady.” I hold great respect for Hestia, even if she always looks like an eight year old girl. “A question, if I may?” She smiles, and I take that as permission. “Hestia, do you want a cabin here? Do you even have demigod children?”

She smiles “Nico, I wish you best of luck in your endeavors. You are one of my favorite demigods.” She looks into the fire and vanishes.

The new boy to camp is standing just in my peripheral vision. I turn and meet his eyes, and see shadow and darkness for a second. His skin is dark and he has definite African ancestry, along with close cut black hair.  A second later his eyes look a normal shade of brown. He asks “Who was the girl?”

I reply “The goddess Hestia.”

“Is she your mom?”

I shake my head “No, my godly parent is Hades. How about you?”

He shrugs “I’m unclaimed, but my friend José says I must be a child of Hermes too because I can undo locks by putting my hand on them.”

I nod “That does sound like a very good talent for Hermes. What else are you good at?”

The boy smiles “I can hide really well. No one can find me when I hide.”

I reply “That is also a very useful talent. I can see that you will be a powerful demigod.” I have no idea what other god would be good at locks and hiding. Maybe he is a child of Hermes, but it just doesn’t fit.

Across the room, the new Hermes kid gestures frantically. The boy notices and says “José wants me over there. I wonder what we are stealing now?” He sounds excited, but when he runs over to the group of Hermes campers, they whisper in his ear. He glances at me, shrugs and follows his friend José out of the room. They’re probably going to steal all of the wild cards out of the Uno deck again. There’s nothing more annoying than a game of Uno without wild cards. But I also know that they were whispering about me. Everyone does, that’s why I left the first time. This time, I have decided not to care. Words can’t hurt me, unless they are laced with charmspeak.

I sleep in the next morning, missing breakfast. Normally when a camper is absent at breakfast, they send someone to get them, but Will and Jason are the only people that dare enter my cabin without permission, and Jason slept in. Leo tried coming into my cabin once. It didn’t end well for him or my furniture, but at least I got rid of those stupid coffin beds. Actually, I haven’t seen much of Leo lately. That is a good thing, because he annoys me, but that also means he is probably going to reappear with some new scary invention. Calypso is around somewhere too. She’s probably helping Leo. Calypso stays in Rachel’s cave when Rachel isn’t around. Apparently it is a secret girl’s lair in the forest now. Oh, Annabeth, she’s the only other person that has come into my cabin uninvited. It was to wake me up for breakfast earlier this summer when she and Percy visited camp. And I only permitted that because she had her new scary sword on. I finally got around to cleaning my cabin as well. I keep it very dark in there when the inspectors come around, so they can’t see the mess. That is another reason all of my clothes are black. If I kick them to the corner of the room, it looks like the cabin is clean.

Camp is peaceful. There is a small scale capture the flag game in the afternoon. It isn’t as much fun as when everyone is there, but I know Sherman is going to track me down and attack. He has been glaring at me since I got back. Children of Ares hold grudges even longer than I do. I called him a coward? I think that’s why he hates me now. Jason and I are on opposite teams, because everyone decided that that was only fair. Somehow, Connor Stoll ended up being my team captain, and Jason is the other. The Ares campers are on Jason’s team, but Leo is on mine. There are a couple of Hecate campers on Jason’s team. They’ll be the ones to watch. Somehow, Aphrodite’s cabin got put on our team, and the Hypnos cabin.

I tell Connor “Look, Sherman is out to get me. Can I suggest that we should just let the Ares campers try to kill me while some other people get the flag?”

Connor replies “So you want to be the distraction.”

“Basically. You know that Ares will probably guard the flag, and Jason will fly in?”

“I know. The Hecate campers will probably try to cook up a distraction. I have Cecil, José and Jacob setting traps.”

“Who’s Jacob?”

“The boy you were talking to last night.” I file the name away for reference, as well as the fact that Connor feels protective for him. Connor continues “I have an idea for Clovis. Do you think he can put Jason to sleep when he arrives to steal the flag?”

I nod “That would be excellent. May I recommend that we sent the Aphrodite campers to guard a fake flag?”

“Too bad Piper isn’t here. She’s great at capture the flag. Yeah, let’s do that.” Piper went home to school this year. Connor continues “I think we should have Malcolm and his siblings guard the border. They can find out where Ares campers are.”

I ask “So who’s going to get the flag? You?”

Connor grins, a wicked grin that all Hermes children share “No, I’ve got a plan.”

I shake my head and reply “It better be good.”

Ten minutes later, I am approaching the enemy flag. The Ares campers are all guarding the flag as expected. There are only five of them year-round, but they are still a formidable force. I only see three, though. As soon as the thought crosses my mind, I hear sounds behind me. I am surrounded by Ares campers. I draw my sword. Sherman throws a rope with weights on the ends at my legs. I fall and use my momentum to roll out of the circle. I can’t get the stupid rope untied so I slice it. It wraps on my sword. I let the sword channel my anger and meet Sherman’s eyes. He set up an ambush for the son of Hades. He meant to kill me after he trapped me with the rope, which I now realize has a celestial bronze core and is spelled to not come off. Fortunately, stygian iron can burn through bronze when I channel my power into it. The bronze heats up painfully but eventually falls off. I feel a sharp pricking on my neck, and glance behind me to the bushes. There is a Demeter camper with a blowgun. I reach up and remove a tiny dart as my head starts to spin. This is not cool.

Sherman attacks. I respond out of instinct and counter his blade. The other Ares campers surround me. I know I stagger around because of the stupid poison, but I mange to land more blows than I receive. I see Jacob and José steal the flag behind me and vanish. I wonder if the drug they got me with causes hallucinations too. No one can turn invisible, unless the Stolls took Annabeth’s Yankee cap. I receive a pretty serious wound to my right arm, and the pain clears my head partially. The drug is starting to fade. My right arm goes numb, so I switch sword hands. The Ares campers, sensing weakness, press the attack. I feel my anger rise again, and I know my eyes have gone terrifying despite the drug. I spin and go on the offensive. Within a few minutes, all of the Ares campers lie on the ground, either unconscious or with broken bones. I am vaguely aware of people shouting at me, but I collapse.

I wake up in the Big House. It takes me a minute to remember what happened. I am extremely thirsty, so I sit up and my head pounds. I see a glass of water and drain it. I look around and see Chiron, sitting in his wheelchair. He asks “Nico, what were you thinking? All of the Ares campers suffered massive injuries.”

I reply “It’s not my fault they drugged me.”

Chiron frowns “They drugged you? How? With what?”

“Ask the little Demeter girl with the blowgun. I don’t know poisons, but it made me very dizzy and disoriented.”

“And you still mowed down five Ares campers?” Chiron sounds like he doubts me.

I reply “Why do you think I collapsed?”

Chiron sighs “I will investigate your claim, but I would very much appreciate it if you could resolve your problems with Sherman.”

I counter “He set up a trap for me.”

“And you walked into it purposefully. You are many things, Nico, but stupid is not one of them.”

I smile, a very insincere smile “Thanks, Chiron.”

After he leaves I stand up. I’m only a little dizzy, so I get more water and shadow travel back to my cabin. I fall over when I land, but that’s okay, because I landed next to my bed.


	9. Chapter 9

None of the Ares campers died, and Chiron was able to determine that there was a near-lethal dose of poison on the dart. The camp hangs in the balance; they can’t decide who is right and who is wrong. Poison is trickery, and Greeks have respect for strategy. Poison is also treachery, and Greeks have no tolerance for that. Then again, brave fighting in the face of impossible odds is favored. Nearly killing a bunch of children is not. We’ll see. I might vanish for a while until people forget. But that would be admitting that I am wrong in the eyes of many.

Jason woke me up at one in the afternoon. Turns out capture the flag was the night before last. Chiron doesn’t go into camper’s cabins and no one else wanted to wake me up. Well, Jason didn’t want to but he came in anyway, with his hand on the coin that turns into a sword. I wasn’t too unpleasant to him. I wanted breakfast or lunch anyway. Healing poison takes a lot of energy and I’m famished.

At lunch, Jason is amused by the amount of food I eat. He starts reminiscing about how I used to eat almost nothing after I came out of the stupid jar. I glare at him to shut up, but I hear a small voice at my side “Did you really live in a jar for weeks?” It’s Jacob.

I don’t reply, struck again by the eyes. The eyes are a mirror of my own, and my father’s. We look nothing alike otherwise, but the eyes match. Jason answers for me as I process this new information. “Nico did live in a jar for a while, after he got captured by the monsters during the war with Gaea. Nico?” Jason waves his hand in front of my face. My eyes snap back into focus.

I reply “Children of the underworld can subsist on pomegranate seeds from Persephone for a limited amount of time. One seed equals one day. I do not recommend the experience.”

Jacob looks fascinated “What else can underworld kids do?”

Jason answers for me again. That is really annoying. “Well, far as I can tell, children of Hades can raise the dead, shadow travel, live on pomegranate seeds and generally terrify everyone. Children of Pluto can bring riches from the earth and manipulate the mist.”

Jacob asks “What’s the difference between the not-planet and the other one?”

I smile slightly. “Hades is the Greek incarnation. He deals more with death, shadow, fear, and invisibility. Pluto is Roman. His sphere of influence also includes all the riches under the earth. My sister Hazel is roman, and she can summon gold and precious stones from the earth, as well as create tunnels below the surface. Also, they might just be putting Pluto back on the list of planets. My father will be quite pleased, I’m sure. He was furious about being demoted from the list.”

Jacob grins “Cool. Can I meet him?”

Jason asks “Why would you want to meet the lord of the dead?”

Jacob shrugs “He sounds cool. He’s got money and can hide much better than me. That sounds awesome.”

I jump in before Jason can “It depends who you are talking to. Most people don’t like Hades or his children.”

“Why?”

A simple answer, but not one easily understood “They fear death and judgment.”

Jacob frowns “But everyone dies. My mom said so. She said my dad was dead, but everyone says that my dad is just a god, and that’s why I never met him.”

Jason replies “Gods are complicated. They aren’t precisely alive or dead.”

Jacob asks “When will I know who my dad is?”

I pat him on the shoulder “I have a feeling it will be very soon.”

Jacob goes “Oh, look, José has dessert!” He runs off.

Jason asks “Why are you being so nice to that kid? You hate physical contact.” He looks really suspicious.

I ask vaguely “You don’t see it?” Jason just looks confused. I add mysteriously “It’ll make sense soon. Trust me.”

Jason sighs “For some reason, when you say that I get very worried.”

I accuse “You don’t trust me?”

Jason winces “Nico, I didn’t mean to offend you, I was only joking.”

I was only joking too. But my jokes just aren’t funny to others. Maybe I should visit Reyna. She always gets my jokes. But then again, I cause problems for her every time I visit.

Jason leaves that afternoon, just in time to miss Leo’s new disaster. He avoids me since the incident in July, I’m not even sure he is aware of it. I have no problem with that. My problem with him is that for every few good inventions he makes, something goes dramatically wrong.

I shout “Leo, where’s the off switch?” Leo’s new giant bronze chicken is running through camp and crushing the picnic tables.

Leo grins and shouts back “You see, that’s what so clever.”

I mutter “It doesn’t have an off switch.”

Leo continues “It doesn’t have an off switch. I made the chicken voice activated.”

I shout back “Then tell it to shut itself off and die or whatever.”

“Don’t kill the chicken. Besides I’m pretty sure that her hearing range moved lower as the chicken grew, so she can’t hear me.” So the chicken is on a rampage through camp and can’t hear us tell it to stop.

Wait. “Leo, you made the chicken a girl?”

“Yeah, I wanted her to lay eggs so I could have more chickens.”

If it isn’t my imagination, the chicken is growing. She just ate the steel beam from the pavilion roof. There is a corresponding dark spot on her belly. “Leo, how did you even make a chicken of metal that grows?”

Leo’s eyes light up. He likes showing how clever he is. “You see, I simply combined the basic principles of …”

I talk over him “Leo, how do we stop the chicken?”

Leo frowns “I’m not sure.” The chicken crushes a couple more picnic tables.

I ask “Why did you want a chicken anyway?”

Leo replies “I wanted to make monster fighters. They were going to be mini companions for demigods that kill monsters.” That explains why it is celestial bronze. “I created an egg. It was supposed to hatch into a T-rex, but I got a chicken instead.” Well, on the plus side, we could have a dinosaur ranging around camp instead of a chicken. Leo jumps into the air a good three feet. “Wait, I have an idea! I could use the net!” He runs to the Hephaestus cabin, emerging with a little golden ball. Meanwhile, the chicken crushed a few more benches and stepped in the fire pit. Leo yells “Distract Betsy! I’ll catch her with this.” He waves the ball above his head.

I sigh and go run in front of the chicken, waving my sword. I must smell like monster or something because the chicken starts chasing me. I run. I’m not arguing with 16 feet of Celestial bronze. I go for the woods. Hopefully the trees will slow the chicken down. Leo orders behind me “Go slower! I can’t keep up.” If I go slower I will be stomped on. I speed up. I head for the cliff face. A giant chicken should have trouble with running through rock, because trees don’t seem to be stopping it much. I scurry into the cliff face, finding small passages to crawl through, and shadow traveling until I am deep enough that the vibrations from the Chicken hitting the rock don’t knock stones from the ceiling. I hear beautiful singing, so I follow the music.

I crawl through a tiny crack and emerge in a room that is totally decked out with a game system. I call “Hello?” The singing stops. My underground senses, while not as good as Hazel’s, tell me that I am in the middle of the hill. A beautiful girl appears, but her beauty doesn’t really do much for me.

Calypso asks “What are you doing in my game room?”

I reply “Escaping from your boyfriend’s evil bronze chicken.”

She frowns “It worked? I told him he couldn’t make dinosaurs.”

I shrug “It’s a chicken, except 16 feet tall. It’s not a dinosaur. This place is cool.”

She smiles “Yes, this is the new cave for the oracle of Delphi. Rachel is letting me stay here. Where are my manners? Please, come have a cup of tea.”

We sit down across from each other. Calypso says “You must be Nico. I don’t think we were ever formally introduced.” I nod politely and take a sip of tea. It is good, but I prefer coffee. I am Italian, after all. Calypso continues “How is the rebuilding of your cabin going? After Leo set it on fire, I mean.”

I reply “It’s going well. It was a great excuse to clear out the coffins.”

“Coffins?”

I shrug “Yeah, I hadn’t finished furnishing the inside while I was building it last time. Some idiot decided that the beds should be coffins. The coffins were a horrendous shade of bright red, until they went up in flames.”

Calypso asks “Why coffins?”

I shrug “Vampires sleep in coffins, and someone obviously thought I was a vampire.”

Calypso laughs “Leo didn’t tell me you were funny.”

I reply “Most people would tell you that I am not funny.”

Leo Valdez crashes into the room “Calypso, are you okay?”

She rolls her eyes “I’m fine, just having tea with your friend Nico.”

I ask “How’s the chicken?”

Leo takes a deep breath and looks around the room “I was worried. The chicken was slamming into the cave pretty hard. Nico, you just vanished, where did you go?”

I respond “Into the cliff. The stone here is riddled with passages and tunnels.”

Calypso looks concerned “So anyone could find their way here through the cliff?”

I shake my head “I had to shadow travel a bit. Hazel could find her way, but no one else. Don’t worry about it. So is the chicken still trying to knock over the cliff?”

Leo shakes his head “No, she laid an egg and collapsed.”

I reply “This I have to see.” I follow Leo out of the cave. It is a very nice cave. Calypso follows. We walk down to where the chicken is. The chicken is lying on its side at the base of the cliff. Sure enough, there is a shiny egg sitting in what looks like a rock nest at the base of the cliff.

Calypso goes “Look, the mother chicken made a nest for her baby.”

I question “Does that mean she wasn’t actually trying to kill me?” I go forward to inspect the egg before Leo can tell me not to. The egg is beautiful, comprised of mostly celestial bronze with streaks of gold and iron throughout. I put my hand on it, and can immediately sense something strange. “An animas? Leo, where did you get an animas?”

Calypso goes pale “What type of animas?”

Leo asks “What’s an ani-thing?”

Calypso replies “A trapped soul.”

I shrug “Sort of. A trapped spirit, often kept in a bottle. Leo, what did you add to the chicken to make it move?”

Leo asks “I put a genie in the chicken? Cool! Will it grant me wishes?”

I don’t know what a genie is, but he’s missing the point. “Not a genie, a trapped spirit.” 

Leo frowns “I melted an empty box of celestial bronze into the egg. It said animal or something on the side. It had some ugly carvings of birds on it, and was in the back of bunker nine.” I walk over to the fallen chicken. It is dead, lifeless. The animas passed to the egg.

I declare “Well, Leo, you just introduced a chicken’s soul to celestial bronze. The egg is alive.”

Leo jumps up and down, excited “Swell! I’m going to get another bronze chicken?”

Calypso and I exchange exasperated looks. I declare “Have a nice day. I hope you realize you are completely and totally responsible for this new life form you have created. Congrats.” Calypso smiles at my sarcasm. I walk back to camp. My black T-shirt is torn, and it is almost time for dinner.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day, my suspicions are confirmed. Well, first Leo and I are interrogated by Chiron. It’s about three in the afternoon. Calypso is, for some reason, exempt. Chiron sighs and folds his arms. “What do mean, Leo, that the chicken is alive?”

Leo shuffles his feet and shrugs “Nico said it had an animal thing inside it.” Oh great, now he’s throwing me under the bus.

Chiron shifts his scowl to me. He was not happy to return from his trip and find all of the picnic tables crushed by a giant chicken. I reply “It had an animas within it. I suspect it was a chicken spirit, because it took the form of a chicken.”

Chiron scowls back at Leo “What gave you the brilliant idea of putting an animas into a metal egg? Where did you even find one?”

Leo squirms under Chiron’s intense glare “I didn’t know it was a whatever it’s called. I was just melting down old celestial bronze scraps and there was this really ugly box with Greek writing and birds on the side, so I melted it into the egg. Nico says that was probably the animas.”

Chiron frowns “Leo, do you even know what an animas is?” Leo looks sheepish. Chiron orders “Nico, explain it to him.”

I reply “Okay, an animas is basically a severed soul. There is a ceremony and ritual killing, and the soul is basically captured and sealed away. Wood is the best medium for restraining a soul, because the soul can be damaged by what it is held in. Wood isn’t damaging because it is dead as well. Necromancers often used this technique to bring back zombie forces in darker times. An animas, when released from its prison, will give life to the thing it inhabits. Animal animas had a few uses, but they usually took more energy to create than they were worth. From your description of the box, this animas was probably a gift to a king or something of the like.”

Chiron looks concerned for a moment, but it passes quickly. Leo looks confused as he processes the information. Eventually Leo goes “So it’s just a chicken soul? In my giant chicken?”

I sigh and reply “Basically.”

Leo continues “And I melted the soul into my momma chicken, who passed it to her baby egg?”

Chiron snaps “Leo. This is serious. Anima are very unstable.”

I know I shouldn’t speak, but “Not when properly captured.”

Chiron glares at me for the interruption and continues talking to Leo “You need to take responsibility for this creature. The animas must be released.”

Leo frowns “Why?”

Chiron replies “Animas are evil.”

I sigh and contradict “Not necessarily. The nature of the person or animal captured resides with the animas, but not their memories. The instincts are still there.”

Leo replies “So the chicken thinks it is a chicken?”

I reply “Sure. More it will act like a chicken. I'm not sure chickens can think.”

Chiron is definitely looking at me with suspicion. “Nico, where did you learn this? Knowledge of anima were lost centuries ago.”

I allow a solemn expression to cross my face. “No knowledge is lost forever.”

Chiron challenges “Could you make an animas?”

I reply “My father would be displeased with me.”

Leo frowns “Why?” He is so stupid sometimes.

“A soul kept from its rightful place is an affront to the keeper of souls. Judgment must be served. Although, I doubt a chicken has much to answer for.”

Leo looks concerned “So is Hades going to be after me for having a not dead chicken soul?”

I reply “Probably not. Animal souls were put into continuous regeneration a few centuries ago. It saves a lot of paperwork. And it is Thanatos that hunts down souls who try to escape or thwart Death. I’d be much more worried about what to do with a bronze chicken.”

Chiron asks “Nico, can you remove the animas?”

I shrug “I can take a look, but I suspect not. It sounds like it has bonded to the metal.” I add as an afterthought “An egg is very high in potential.” Leo and Chiron both look at me like I’m crazy, which I probably am. Actually, I probably could remove the animas, but I don’t really want to. I want to see Leo try to manage a bronze chicken. See, in order to remove the animas, I have to kill the chicken. And I don’t know if that is possible. And I don’t want to kill the chicken. It might break my sword.

Later, all the campers are sitting around playing games and stuff after dinner. A bunch of people are getting ready to go home for thanksgiving. I’m not. Then I sense the presence of my father. I sit up and look around. There is a rush, not of wind, but of power. All of the candles go out and the electric lights dim. There is a few seconds of silence, then excited nervous chatter. I hold up a hand “Silence, please.” Everyone quiets down. Can my father do this without the theatrical atmosphere? I hear his laugh in my head. He has far too much fun scaring demigods. Not that I can really criticize based on my own behavior.

In the dim light, a bright gold circle appears spinning over Jacob’s head. All eyes in the room are drawn to it. Slowly the golden ball unfurls, releasing a three headed black dog, still outlined in gold. The room goes dark for a second as the dog glows brightly, leaving an after image on everyone’s eyes as the lights come back on and the candles relight. As if the lights were a cue, everyone starts talking nervously. Calypso, who was sitting next to me asks “What was that about?”

I shrug and reply “My father was being theatrical.” I walk over to Jacob and sit next to him “Congratulations, brother. Our father has claimed you.”

Jacob asks “Is that a good thing?”

Conner Stoll speaks. He is standing directly behind me, never a good choice. “It depends. Nico, may I have a word with you?”

I hate to just leave my brother there, but I nod “Of course.” I follow him and glance behind. Calypso has gone up to my brother and is talking to him. Good, because no one else in the room will. Sometimes, I hate my father.

I stand in the hall with Connor. I have my arms crossed and I am holding eye contact. That’s usually enough to make most people nervous. And Connor is nervous, but also determined. I blink, breaking the tension enough that he will speak. “I’m worried about Jacob.”

I ask “Why?” A simple question, but it contains a warning.

Connor shifts his feet. “I knew he wasn’t a son of Hermes, I can feel it, you know?” I nod. He continues “I suppose I should have known it was Hades, but…” He trails off.

I finish his sentence “You were hoping otherwise.” I make it a challenge.

Connor shifts his feet some more. “Well, sort of. Anyway, I’m concerned about Jacob.” I am about to make him squirm some more before scaring him off, but I remember Hestia’s warning.

I relax my posture and try to remove the ice from my voice “There is nothing I care about more than family.”

Connor nods in understanding “I’ll help Jacob pack his things.”

I run into Chiron while trying to return to the common room with Connor. Chiron looks pissed off. “What was that all about, Nico?” Connor takes one look and scurries off.

I stop and query “What was what all about?”

“The darkness and power.”

I shrug “My father was claiming my brother. Evidently he was being theatrical today.”

Chiron looks more annoyed if that is possible. “I doubt the lord of the dead likes being called theatrical.” I seem to just keep on annoying him. It must be because I’m not a proper hero. 

I shrug and reply “I’ve called him worse.”

Chiron finally snaps out of the annoyed face. “You knew this would happen.”

I reply “I knew Jacob was my brother. I didn’t know when or how our father would claim him.”

Chiron adds “He is going to have to move into your cabin.”

I reply in a smooth voice “There’s plenty of room.”

Chiron continues “You will be responsible for training him and teaching him to be a hero.”

I let a wry smile come across my face “I understand, Chiron. I’ve known camp half-blood long enough.” I add, just to annoy him “I can’t promise the hero bit though.”

Chiron sighs. He looks a million years old, which he probably is. “Go help him move in. I believe Connor is currently trying to decide if it is worth trying to open the door to your cabin.”

I shadow travel into my cabin and open the door from the inside. No one is there, but I do see two shadows walking across the grass between cabins. I place myself, out of habit, in the chair beneath the shadow of the green torches on the porch. As they approach, Jacob’s eyes fix on me. Connor doesn’t see me until I stand and declare “Welcome to cabin 13.” Connor jumps. I allow an expression of amusement to cross my face. I invite “Come on in, Jacob. You’ll be delighted to know that Leo Valdez already burned down the coffins.”

I wait until Jacob goes inside. He actually looks excited. I say to Connor “Thank you. Don’t worry, you’ll see him at breakfast.”

Connor shakes his head “Do you actually have a sense of humor, Nico?” I say nothing. I really don’t want to be the next prank victim of the Hermes cabin. I go inside.

Inside, Jacob looks excited. “Is it always so dark? Which bed can I have? Why are the fires green?”

I smile and flip the light switch. The torches go out, and the magnificence of the room becomes obvious. I had Hazel help me with the decorations. Jacob drops his bags “Oh, cool. This is amazing and shiny.”

I declare “Take any bed except mine.” He moves his bags to the bed across from me, then wanders around the room touching the gold and silver, gem studded decorations on the walls. He finally reaches the altar at the end of the room. On it lays a human skull, piles of gold, precious stones, and bones. The altar itself is made of black obsidian stone, like the walls of the cabin. In fact, the altar is part of the wall. It is an irremovable part of the cabin. Jacob stares at it, entranced. I say “That is the altar to our father. You can leave something, or say a prayer if you wish.” I hesitate then add “It is dangerous to pray to the god of death, but he is known to care for his children.”

Jacob turns to me and asks “Have you met him? Hades?”

His eyes catch me again. The shadows are so similar to father’s. I reply carefully “I have met him, yes. You probably have too, but didn’t realize it at the time. Hades takes many forms.” I add with a wry grin “For some reason he seems to enjoy pretending to be a lawyer.” I sit on my bed.

Jacob looks at me and frowns thoughtfully. I wait. He asks “Why is everyone so scared of you? You seem to be nice.”

That is far too perceptive for an eight-year-old. Or maybe it is obvious. Well, I don’t actually know how old he is. I shrug “I am not very friendly, and people fear death and the final judgment. My powers also scare people.”

Jacob asks “What can you do?”

I reflect the question “What can you do?”

Jacob replies “No magic or anything. I can open locks with my hand and I can hide really well.”

I have a theory. “Show me how you hide.”

Jacob says “Okay. I find a dark spot.” He sits down on the floor in front of his bed. “Then I stay still and hide.” As he says it, the shadows drift over him and completely cloak him from my sight. It is like he had vanished. I can’t do that, and I’ve tried.

I ask “Can you do that when you aren’t sitting still?”

Jacob reappears and shrugs “Not as well. People sometimes see me, but they usually don’t notice me.”

I smile and try to be encouraging “That’s really cool. Do you think you are ready to go to bed?”

Jacob asks “Can you show me what you can do first?” I must seem reluctant, because he presses “Please? My mom says that’s the magic word.”

He looks so adorable and cute. I give in “Fine.” I wonder what to show him. My powers are dramatic, but might give him nightmares. I finally summon a squirrel skeleton that is buried just outside the cabin. I’ve been able to do that since I was younger than him. People are much harder to summon and not as cute. The skeleton bursts out of the ground and runs up my arm and over my shoulder, then runs over to Jacob. I say “You can pick him up. He’s not allowed to bite you.”

Jacob seems surprised by the squirrel “He’s dead.”

I reply “Yes, I am animating him temporarily.”

Jacob doesn’t seem that interested “Oh, that’s cool. I like hiding better.”

I nod “Bedtime. You need sleep. Tomorrow will be interesting.”

Jacob puts down the squirrel “Okay.” I let the squirrel fall into the ground again. We go to sleep. Well, at least Jacob does. I stay awake wondering. I am going to have to find out why Jacob ran at such a young age. Is his mother alive? Where is he from? The accent sounds Midwest, but more information would be good. I don’t even know his age or last name. Eventually, I fall asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

“Hey, Nico, can we do something fun? Can you show me how to use your sword?”

I wake up and I am about to growl at the intruder, and then I remember my brother moved in last night. I take a deep breath. “Go back to sleep.”

“I tried already. I can’t sleep anymore. Do you want coffee?” Jacob shoves a steaming mug of coffee under my nose.

I sit up and take a sip then look at him suspiciously “Where did you get coffee?”

Jacob smiles “At the big house. I could smell it, and my mom always needs coffee to get up, so I figured it would convince you to teach me to use your sword!”

I am not even going to sort out that train of logic. I reply “What is your mom’s name?”

“Ann-Marie Smith. Can you show me sword fighting, please?”

I sigh and finish waking up. “I won’t teach you how to use this sword; however, I will show you how to fight with weapons much better suited to you.” He looks disappointed so I add “Right now, you are too small to lift a sword like this. So we are going to capitalize on what you can do, which is move really fast, and use that to make you a better fighter.”

Jacob asks “When I’m older can I use the sword?”

I reply “If you are very good. My sword in particular is extremely dangerous.”

 Jacob grins “Let’s go.” He bounces out the door, leaving me to follow. I hate mornings. No one else is even up. I estimate that there is still about an hour before breakfast. I walk to the weapons shed and retrieve four practice knives. I don’t think I should start with real bronze knives. Jacob frowns when he sees the wooden knives “Do we have to use the practice ones? That’s boring. Connor makes me do that.”

I reply “Yes we’re using the wooden ones, and no it won’t be boring.” I hand him two of the knives and take a step away.

Jacob asks “Why do I have two? Connor says to only use one.”

I reply “You have two hands, don’t you? It’s harder to use two knives instead of one. Now, attack me.”

Jacob hesitates “Why?”

I reply “Hesitation will get you killed.” I add a note of command to my voice “Now attack.” Jacob looks uncertain, but he follows directions. He runs at me and slashes with his lead hand. It is a good stroke, and I can see that he has been taught something. His second hand trails behind, going for a lower attack. It is a good idea. I deflect both blows with a minimum of effort. I nod “Nice try. Do it again.” He tries again, using different moves. He is smart. “Good, remember speed and accuracy are your friends. You want to aim for the most damage.” A few tries later, he looks tired so call a break. “Nice job today. You’re pretty good.”

Jacob looks unhappy “I didn’t hit you a single time. How is that good?”

I ruffle his hair. “You did fine. I’m just very good at not getting hit. You’ll get there soon.” I see other campers walking around so I say “I’ll put the knives away, and we can go have breakfast.” Jacob brightens right up at the thought of food.

At breakfast Jacob asks “What are the rules?”

I frown “What rules?”

Jacob answers “Connor said I had to follow all the rules you would tell me.”

I reply “Oh right, cabin rules.” I don’t have any, so I think for a minute. “Don’t mess with my stuff, don’t wake me up before breakfast unless it is important or you have coffee, go to bed when I say.” I think for another minute then add “Don’t get into any trouble you can’t get yourself out of.”

Jacob asks “Can I still hang out with my friends?”

I reply “Of course. Why wouldn’t you?”

Jacob looks down and says “Someone told me that kids of Hades weren’t allowed to have friends.”

I reply “Well, they lied. I have friends. Friends are important; they help you out when you need it. Not all friends are perfect, but you should still have them.” I see Jacob glance at José so I add “After breakfast, why don’t you go talk to José? For now, tell me about your mom.”

I’m pretty sure his mom is alive, but I’m still not sure what drove him to camp half-blood. Jacob looks sad. He says “I miss my mom.”

I ask “Where does she live?”

He replies “We live on 126 sunrise ave. Chicago. She made me memorize the address.”

I reply “That’s very smart of you.” Compliments seem to be the key to getting Jacob to talk.

He smiles “My mom is half-black, like me. Our apartment is smallish, but I really like it. We each have our own bedrooms, which some of my friends don’t have, and there is a kitchen and the room with comfy couches. Oh and a bathroom. My mom likes yellow and green, so the walls are usually one of those colors, but we use discount paint so the shades don’t always match.”

I ask “Why did you leave?”

Jacob shrugs and looks down before replying “My mom’s boyfriend. Can I go play with José now?”

He looks so excited that I reply “Sure. Have fun.”

A few minutes later he runs back and says in a rush “Connor says to ask you if I can practice archery with José and the other Hermes campers.”

I reply “Sure. Don’t shoot anyone important.”

He runs back and I can hear him tell Connor “Nico says I can as long as I don’t shoot anyone important.” Connor glances at me. I make eye contact and nod before getting up to clear my plate. There’s a book of Egyptian mythology that I’m working on reading. Maybe I’ll spend the morning doing that.

I get through a couple chapters before the words swim across the page. I decide to see how archery practice is going. I walk down to the archery range and stand to the side in the shadow of a building. I can’t turn invisible like my brother, but I can tell where the shadows are darkest and stand there. It is enough to keep most from seeing me. It looks like both the Apollo and Hermes cabins are practicing archery. I miss Will, even if he can’t shoot nearly as well as his siblings.

Then I hear my name. “Connor, can Nico help me with my archery?”

Connor replies “Sure, if he can shoot. Why?”

Jacob replies “Because he’s watching.” Well, apparently my little brother can see into the shadows.

Connor frowns “No, he isn’t. I would have noticed someone lurking around.”

Jacob points “He’s right over there.” He points right at me. Connor looks and doesn’t see anything. Then he focuses and his eyes widen. I step out of the shadow and walk over.

I say “Well spotted, little brother. Next time, don’t say anything.”

Jacob asks “Why not?”

I reply “I’ll explain later.” I say to Connor “Sorry about that. Jacob has keen eyes.”

Connor looks at me very suspiciously “How often do you do that? Turn invisible?” I hear the subtext that I am a creepy stalker, but ignore it for once.

I shake my head “I can’t do invisible. I’ve tried, and my power just isn’t directed that way. I just stand where the shadows are deepest and stay still.” I glance at Jacob who has returned to practice and add “Jacob, on the other hand, can be invisible and apparently see into the shadows better than I.”

Connor looks thoughtful “Why are you being nice?”

And that’s entirely too much compassion for the day. “Am I? I’d have to say that I am not a very nice person, Connor.” It isn’t the words but the tone that accompanies them that makes him back off. I wait a second, and when no reply is forthcoming, I walk over to my brother. His archery technique is terrible. I decide to be helpful and correct a few basic mistakes on some of the younger campers. I don’t smile, and they are a little uncomfortable but they don’t know all the creepy things I can do, like the older campers.

The older campers such as Austin and Kayla have problems with me. They are Will’s siblings, and are nice to me when Will is around, but Kayla really doesn’t like me. “Di Angelo.” She calls. “Can you actually shoot a bow, or just explain it to children?”

That is a challenge. I reply easily “I can shoot a bow just fine, Kayla.”  I’m no expert, and probably not as good as she is, but I know what I’m doing.

She replies softly “Prove it.” It’s one of my flaws that I am occasionally propelled by anger, but anger is a pretty good source of strength. I walk over to the wall and pick up one of my favorite bows and a quiver of arrows, the serious sharp ones. Like I said, I am sometimes propelled by anger. I draw and shoot a few at the farthest target. Most land within the yellow center, but a few fall just outside in the red.

I state “I’m not a master marksman, but I know how to shoot, Kayla.” I realize everyone is watching me again. I hate when they do that. I’m not an alien, just another demigod.

Austin has stepped up and put his hand on Kayla’s shoulder. The siblings are close. Austin says “Thank you for helping with archery practice, we can always use help.”

I reply, amused “You’re welcome.” Austin and Kayla enter a furious whisper conversation, but I ignore them and continue helping my brother and a few other campers with their archery technique.

Later, at lunch Jacob asks if he can go and do some stuff with his friends. I’m not stupid, so I ask “Do what stuff?”

He looks up with a perfect innocent expression on his face “We are just going to hang out and have fun.” The giveaway is his finger tapping nervously on the table. If he was just going to hang out, he wouldn’t be worried about asking.

I pretend to think about it. “And what are you going to be doing again?”

Jacob replies “Oh, nothing bad. We’re just going to have a little bit of fun.”

I am sure he is going to break some sort of rule, but, really who cares? I’ve broken plenty of rules. I reply without a smile “Alright, but remember not to get yourself into any trouble you can’t get out of. If all else fails, hide.”

Jacob looks excited “Really? I can go? Awesome.” He runs off.


	12. Chapter 12

It isn’t until the day before thanksgiving that I learn of the prank that Jacob and the Hermes campers pulled off. Somehow, all of the explosives in the Ares cabin secret armory were switched for soft pink stuffed animals. It was a great job, except no one will admit to knowledge of where the explosives went. It is concerning to know that Connor Stoll and his siblings are in control of a large number of celestial bronze explosives, but there are worse things in the world.

I receive an Iris message at about 9 in the morning. It is Reyna, the roman praetor. She says “Nico, come pick me up now. I want to come to camp half-blood for thanksgiving.”

I ask “Why?” but she ends the Iris message. I consider messaging her back, but decide against it. Reyna wouldn’t send a message like that unless she was serious. I tell Jacob that I’ll be back shortly and melt into the shadows. I recognize the place Reyna sent the message from and go there first. I see her walking quickly away and catch up. “Reyna, what is going on?”

She replies “I’ll tell you when we get to the Greek camp.” She puts her hand on my arm. “Shadow travel, now.” I reluctantly obey, appearing on the front porch of the Hades cabin. I take a seat, slightly tired from two huge jumps, on with a passenger. It’s not hard or draining to my power anymore, but I do still feel tired after jumps.

I order “Sit, and tell me why you wanted to escape.”

She sits in one of the black chairs that are perpetually in the shadow of the flickering green torches. She seems to relax, which is unusual for someone on the edge of the Hades cabin. “Is this your cabin? It’s very black.” I glare at her. She looks amused and says “I just needed to get out. There were certain complications in the Senate, and if it is postponed until after Thanksgiving, most of the problems will go away.”

I add “The senate meeting requires your presence, and if you happen to be missing due to unforeseen circumstances, your problems are resolved. Please tell me I didn’t just get Hazel in trouble.”

Reyna shakes her head “No, only yourself. I made sure someone was watching. All anyone will know until I return is that the Son of Hades suddenly appeared and left with the praetor.”

I counter “Until you tell them otherwise, they’re all going to assume I just abducted you. Hilarious, Reyna.” She smiles, pleased with herself. 

Jacob runs over “Hi Nico, who’s she? Is she your girlfriend?”

I reply “No, this is Reyna. I’m dating Will, he’s from the Apollo cabin.” Jacob looks confused so I add “You haven’t met him yet, he’s at school.”

Jacob says “Oh, okay. Is Reyna another child of Hades?”

I sit back and let her do the talking. She looks pretty confused though. “I’m Reyna, I’m the roman praetor. I’m a daughter of Bellona, the roman goddess of war.”

Jacob continues “So are you really good at stabbing people and stuff? Nico’s teaching me knives, but he says I’m too small for swords. How did you appear out of shadow then?”

Reyna says “Nico brought me.”

Jacob says “Oh, How?”

Reyna shrugs so I answer “Shadow travel. I’ll teach it sometime. Go play with your friends. We have roman stuff to talk about.” Jacob looks disappointed so I add “You can talk to Reyna more later, okay?”

Jacob smiles “Okay. I haven’t met a roman yet.” He races off.

Reyna is giving me a strange look so I ask “What?”

She says “Nothing. Was that your brother or something?”

I reply “Yeah, that’s my brother Jacob. He’s been at camp a few weeks.”

“He’s young.”

I respond “Very. I’m trying to pull the story out of him. I know his mom is alive, but I don’t know exactly why he left home. He lived in Chicago somewhere. He came to camp with a few other campers.”

Reyna looks at me for a minute then says “You’re concerned, worried about him.”

I shrug and change the subject “Do you want to find Chiron and say hi? He’s here somewhere.”

She takes the subject change with grace, like always, although she isn’t happy. “Sure.”

Reyna sits with us at lunch. I have no idea which goddess is her mother’s Greek counterpart, and she doesn’t seem to either. She says “Chiron says I can stay at the Big House or any cabin because Bellona doesn’t have a Greek counterpart.”

I nod and say “That’s cool.”

Jacob asks “Do you want to stay in our cabin? We have plenty of room.” Oh, right. I was probably supposed to offer. Well, my brother is apparently also better at manners than I am. I suppose it requires practice.

Reyna replies “If that is okay with Nico?”

I reply off-hand “Oh, sure.”

Reyna smiles and tells Jacob “From Nico that is the equivalent of an engraved invitation.”

Jacob looks at me then asks “What’s an engraved invitation?”

Reyna replies “Nico, that’s from your time.”

I shrug “I have no idea. Sounds like some fancy party thing.” I haven’t told my brother I’m from the 1940’s yet. I mean, I’ve gone to school and lived in this century for half of my life. If I occasionally use an older turn of phrase, who cares?

Jacob asks “Nico can I show her the secret windows?”

I look at him “They’re called secret for a reason.” He looks disappointed so I allow “Reyna is special. You can show her and no one else. Do not speak of the secrets of the Hades cabin, alright?” Jacob nods seriously, and Reyna rolls her eyes.

Later in the evening, Reyna and I are playing chess in the Big House. She asks me a question out of the blue “Nico, how accessible is your father?”

I ask “What do you mean?”

“How often does he visit you, how often do you see him? Do you feel like you know him?”

I shrug and move my rook across the board. “I see him fairly often, I mean; I always know where to find him. Sometimes he summons me to do work for him and such. He rarely visits me here. No one can really know a god.”

Reyna frowns “You’re saying you can always visit your dad. How?”

I reply with a straight face. “The easy way is to die. The hard way is to bring Cerebus a treat, or shadow travel.”

Reyna seems surprised “You visit the underworld?”

I reply “Yeah.”

Reyna questions “Hazel never visits the underworld.”

“Well, she’s technically supposed to be dead. It wouldn’t be the wisest decision.” I ask “What brought on these questions?” I sense something is troubling her.

She moves a chess piece. It isn’t a great move, but the conversation is more important than the game. “I just wondered. You talk about your father as if you know him, and very few demigods do that in the roman legion.”

I reply “Part of that is Greek vs. Roman. Most is just me. I spent quite a few years running with ghosts and spirits of the underworld. I can say with reasonable certainty I know the underworld better than any other living being.” I think a minute and add “It would be hard to apply my situation to someone else.” I am providing her with an opening, but she doesn’t take it.

She asks “Are you going to introduce Jacob to your father?”

“Maybe someday. I’m more concerned about his mother right now. Hades does not get a 10/10 for parental guidance.”

Reyna laughs and looks around nervously “That’s what I mean. Most demigods think that but never say it.”

I smile, just a little “If my father killed me, he would just have to listen to my complaining for the rest of eternity. I’m relatively safe.”

Reyna frowns “Are children of Hades then guaranteed Elysium, as you Greeks call it?”

I shake my head “No. Hades steps away when decisions are made regarding those he cares deeply about. Justice is of paramount importance in judgment. Besides, there are many children of Hades that do not deserve Elysium.”

Reyna looks speculative “What is the underworld like?”

I reply “Whatever you believe it to be. The mist is thickest below the ground, and souls are not greatly inclined to deductive reasoning. You see what you expect.”

Reyna shakes her head “Too complicated for me. Check.”

I glance down at the board. True, but “Checkmate.” Reyna did not see that coming.

She looks at the board frustrated. “How do you always beat me in chess?”

I reply with a smile “Practice.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It gets a little dark, but this character has always been shaped by darkness. Nothing inappropriate, but possibly emotionally charged.

The next morning, both Reyna and I are woken by a very excited Jacob. It is only like 6 in the morning. Jacob yells “Nico, I want another sword lesson.” Reyna looks at me amusedly.

I reply to Jacob “I’m not teaching you to use a sword.”

Jacob says “Fine. I want a wooden sticks lesson.”

Reyna laughs and says “Have fun. I’m going back to sleep. This is my vacation.” She rolls over and pretends to snore. Jacob drags me out of the cabin.

“Jacob, I told you, aim for soft targets, like the eyes.”

“But I’m short.”

“Then go for the groin. Giants hate that.”

I don’t notice Reyna until she speaks “Teaching him dirty fighting, with knives no less?”

I turn and Jacob strikes the first blow he has managed in our few lessons. “Yeah, I finally got Nico!”

I challenge “Why?”

Jacob replies “Because you got distracted. Oh, that doesn’t really count.”

I smile “That absolutely counts. There are lots of distractions in a fight.”

Jacob jumps up and down with excitement “Yeah! I get real knives now!”

I nod “Go look in the shed. See if any knives call to you. Make sure they have sheathes.”

Jacob runs off. Reyna declares “That isn’t honorable fighting.”

I counter “You mean it isn’t Roman? Reyna, he’s eight. He doesn’t have a chance using only roman techniques. If he joins the legion, you can worry about it then.”

Reyna seems to come to a realization “You hid your fighting techniques so we would believe you were a Roman. How did you manage that?”

I reply “I lost to anyone of great skill.”

Reyna shakes her head “The way you teach, you know more than you ever showed me. I had no idea you could use knives, Nico.”

I reply off hand “I spent years of my life doing nothing but training my power, intellect and skill. It’s no surprise I can fight. My sword is my best weapon.”

Reyna asks “Could you beat me?”

I reply “I don’t know. You fight extraordinarily well, and with clear vision. I could beat you only if I had to.”

Jacob has come back with a matched set of knives. I have not seen them before. The hilts are plain leather; the sweat of the previous owner is worked in. But the pommel or the end of the knife is a giant dark purple gemstone. Hazel could tell you what type of stone, all I know are that they are expensive. The knives themselves are celestial bronze, and they have a slight curve to the inner edge and serrations at the base. I inspect the knife closely and see an inscription. I don’t think they are magical, but I have the feeling these knives will never need to be sharpened.

Reyna comments “I have never seen a knife like that before.” She sounds wary.

I reply “Me neither. Jacob, why did you pick these?” I’ve spent lots of time in the weapons shed, and I’ve never seen these.

“They were right there, and they looked pretty. What do they say?”

I take a closer look at the ancient Greek writing. “Man is but breath and shadow.” I look at the other. “What is life but the precursor of death?” I roll my eyes “These definitely belonged to a child of Hades before you. Let’s see what you can do with them.”

Reyna says she wants to see me in action with the knives. I want to say no, but Jacob looks excited. He tells me to use his knives, but I refuse. They are his. I walk over to my leather jacket, which I threw on the ground before practice. It is cold in Long Island in November. I pull the knives from my jacket. I say to Jacob “Here’s another lesson. Always have a weapon nearby, even when you think you are safe.”

Reyna mocks “Come here, death boy.” I roll my eyes and let the spark of annoyance fuel my first attack. Reyna is shocked for a moment but responds quickly. Her counter attack was weak. I push harder, keeping her attention on my right hand blade. Finally she pulls herself together. She obviously hasn’t had to deal with my style before. Knife fighting is mostly a lost art with the advent of cheap guns. Fortunately, my tutors are dead and remember how to really use knives.

I trap her blade and hold my knife at her throat. She pulls the trick where she makes her sword extend into a pilum. I move away to avoid being skewered. I lose ground against the longer weapon and Reyna eventually beats me. I yield. Reyna asks “How do you do that?”

“What?” I get up.

She retracts her sword and sheathes it “How can you keep me so off balance? It is like you change styles every few strikes.”

I frown “I keep changing what I do to prevent you from forming a rhythm. It is the only way to beat a bigger weapon with these knives.” I spin them and replace them inside my jacket. I state “You’ve never fought knives before.”

She shakes her head “Not wielded like that. I mean, I’ve run into many opponents with knives, but fighting two-handed with knives is incredibly risky. It almost gave me a heart attack when I saw you teaching Jacob.”

Jacob frowns and replies “Nico said I was doing good. That was a cool fight. Why did your sword get bigger?”

Reyna replies “Magic. Nico, do you want to rematch?”

I reply “If I can try my sword.” There are still a few minutes before breakfast. I’ve seen Reyna fight, and if she’s kept up her skills, which I suspect she has, she’ll be hard to beat.

As she attacks, Reyna comments “You have a very distinctive style with the sword. How did you hide it from all of us Romans?”

I reply “I can imitate a fighting style. It’s not that hard.”  I switch into a classic Roman style. Within seconds, Reyna is about to disarm me. I smile and counter with one of Jason’s signature moves, just a little left of being Roman. I ask “Is this more what you’re used to?”

Reyna frowns “You were fighting like a Roman, now it’s different.” Realization flashes across her face “That’s how Jason fights.” I use one of his favorite attacks. Reyna blocks each blow with ease.

I smile “You trained with Jason for a long time. Now, something else.” I slash sideways and spin, ducking her blade. This style is easy. I almost take Reyna’s head off with the fast slicing move. It obviously works better with Percy’s sword, but his style is very unique.

Reyna smiles “Percy’s distinctive style. Nico, you’re showing off.” I realize she is correct. I don’t show off much, and for very good reason. I drop the flowing slices and swirls that remind me of the sea, and return to my more conservative style. Reyna comments “This is your style, right? But it’s missing something.”

I block and parry with a minimum of movement. I reply “I’m not angry. I usually use a bit more force when fighting, as well. However…” I suddenly attack in the middle of the word, one of Reyna’s favorite techniques. I move into her style, classic Roman, but with much better footwork than Jason or Percy. Within a few seconds, she falters, and I knock her to the ground. It is her own perfect footwork that allows me to do so. 

She demands “What style was that?”

I grin and reply “Yours.” I offer her a hand up and return her sword. I compliment “Your footwork is excellent.”

She offers me a wry grin “Thanks, Nico.”

Jacob claps and shouts “Yeah, Nico.” I look around. There are a few people gathered, watching. They seem to be torn whether to applaud the Greek or mourn that the son of Hades won.

Sword still in my hand, I ask “Isn’t it breakfast time?” I make eye contact with the crowd. They scurry off, as expected. That is why I don’t show off. People really don’t like it. I slide my sword back into place at my side. I turn to Reyna.

She comments “Did you really need to chase away the rest of the campers?”

I reply “It is breakfast time.”

Jacob bounces over. “Nico, that was cool. Can you please show me how to use a sword?”

I reply “Someday, brother. Come on, let’s get food.” I ruffle his hair, and he smiles.

I return Reyna to New Rome later that day. I don’t linger, noting the glares from the people passing in the street. She insisted that I appear somewhere public. Later that night, when I return to the cabin, I hear Jacob crying. I really don’t want to have to deal with it, but a deeper instinct calls me to sit on his bed and ask what the problem is.

He flinches away, and then opens his eyes “Nico?”

I ask “What’s wrong, brother?” He starts crying again. I sit there, unsure of what to do. I can’t stand the sound of him crying. I remember what my sister used to do, so I pull Jacob close and hug him to my chest. After a few more shuddering sobs he relaxes and begins breathing properly. I loosen my hug, but he seems content to stay tucked under my arm. Fine, as long as he doesn’t start crying again. I suggest “Tell me what is wrong, and I’ll do everything I can to help.”

He starts sniffling again. “I miss my mom.”

I ask “Why did you leave?”

He sniffles, but fortunately seems to be out of tears. “She believed her boyfriend more than me.” He says the word boyfriend with hate and a bit of fear.

I realize this is the best time to get the full story from him. I order “Tell me the story. I promise that I’ll believe you.”

Jacob starts in a rush, wanting to tell his story, now that he is sure I will listen. “He was nice at first, but really creepy. He said he wanted to be like a father to me, and mom liked the idea. I don’t like him.”

I nod and soothe “That’s okay. Tell me what happened the day you left.” I don’t say ran away.

“He liked to hit me when mom wasn’t around or looking. The day I left…” He pauses “Mrs. Johnson was sick, and she usually watched me when mom had to go out. But mom left Ulrick in charge. He liked to hit me when mommy wasn’t watching. He said I had to take off my clothes, and I didn’t want to, so I hid like I showed you. He got really angry and screamed at me, but couldn’t find me. I waited until mommy got home, and I told her he tried to hurt me. She didn’t believe me, and told me I had to listen to her boyfriend and they were going to get married soon and wasn’t that wonderful? And I left, because his eyes were creepy.” Jacob breaks into sobs again. I thought he was out of tears. As I think through his story and read the subtext, I feel the icy chill of rage begin to course through my blood. It is only my long practice of controlling my expression and posture that prevents me from jumping up and stalking my new prey. Jacob needs his sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

Fury is not new to me. Rage is also my old friend. The depth of this injustice is perhaps deeper than what I knew before. For most people, anger is like the sun, quick to warm, quick to abate. For others, rage will burn like fire in their veins. For me, fury feels like ice, burning cold, solid and immovable. The world becomes still, and all emotions but the rage cease. It is an easier way to live. But the fury demands vengeance for hurt done to my brother. So I begin my search for information.

Over the next two days, I amass enough information, mostly from the internet but some from dreams, to find my target. His picture was on Jacob’s mother’s face book page. I used the full name and picture to find that Jacob’s mom kicked him out and he is now volunteering at a children’s shelter. I shadow travel to the closest location I can find a full picture of. It is quite a few blocks away, and I start walking. The neighborhood is not good. I have to deal with a few groups intent on stealing my possessions. My black attire and sword discourage some, and my furious eyes seem to get rid of most others. The few remaining foolish thugs I cut down easily. I don’t know why they are stupid enough to cross the son of Hades.

I enter the shelter where Ulrick is supposed to work. I stick out. This is a place of safety, and I am a storm waiting to hit shore. I shrink down my posture and try to appear younger. When someone challenges me, I have a lie ready. I claim to be looking for my brother, who ran away. I am reminded that this place is only for those who need it. I nod and promise to leave. I spot my target in the back and ask the lady who met me at the door “Who is that? He looks familiar.”

I am told “That’s one of our new volunteers. Ulrich I think his name is. He is great with the children. Would you like us to look out for your brother?”

I reply quickly “Sure. He’s half African-American, with very dark eyes and slightly overgrown black hair. He’s ten, but looks younger.” I add wryly “He probably also looks like he needs a haircut.”

She asks “How long has he been missing?”

I reply “Since this morning. It could be nothing, but I’m concerned.”

She seems skeptical “Not many people walk in through that door at night, alone and with confidence.”

I shrug and reply “I’m worried about my brother.” I’m pretty sure she thinks I belong to a gang. The silver skull ring on my finger probably doesn’t help the image. The lady softens. I had put enough truth into my story for her to believe it.

“Here, you can take a look around if you like. Just stay where I can see you.” I thank her, wandering around the room, subtly watching Ulrick. He does seem to get on very well with the children. I take note of the shadows and hiding spots of the room, planning to return by shadow soon. The lady at the door watches me, so I don’t linger. I see nothing untoward, nothing to confirm my brother’s story. I leave.

The next day, I return, wishing I could turn fully invisible like my brother. I stay deep in the shadow, avoiding notice from all but a few very perceptive homeless people. Who would have thought they would be so perceptive? Perhaps they need to be in order to survive the streets. Again, I see nothing strange in Ulrick’s behavior. Nothing to indicate that he is the monster that Jacob says he is. Jacob is only eight. He could be confused or misunderstand the circumstances. He admits that he doesn’t like the guy, and his mother didn’t believe him. As a guy gets up from a table and approaches me, I take one final glance at Ulrick and see a strange gleam in his eye as he ruffles a child’s hair. Strangely, the child looks similar to Jacob. I melt into the shadow before the other guy reaches me. I feel the ice, which had started melting from my viens, refreeze as I get confirmation. I know what I saw.

I return later that evening. Predators prefer the darkness. Melting out of the shadows, I don’t see Ulrich anywhere. I ask one of the children where he went. My instincts are screaming at me. The little girl pouts “He said Steven was feeling sad today, so he got special treatment.”

I ask “Which way did they go?”

She points “To Mr. Uly’s room.”  I slip that way, quickly following the corridors as my instincts guide me. I feel the fury rushing through my veins. I stop outside a door and listen. “Now, Steven, we can do this the hard way or the easy way.”

I hear a little boy shout “I won’t, you’re creepy.” I pick the lock quickly, my fingers flying.

I hear a smack. “This is the last warning. Get on the bed and take your clothes off.” I burst through the door, taking in the scene of the boy curled into a ball on the floor, and the man leaning over him. I see a bruise forming on the child’s face, and I feel death drawing close.

As the man turns to me, I feel the fury and ice surge through my heart. I draw my sword and chop off his head. My sword hums as life’s blood becomes death’s blood. I don’t take his soul. He will go to my father for justice, and I am sure, eternal punishment. I watch the body collapse as the head rolls to the feet of the child. He looks too terrified to scream. I feel the icy rage melt from my veins. I take a step forward to comfort, and the child shrinks back. I retreat into the shadow.

I go to the emptiest part of the underworld, devoid of all but a few lost souls and creatures of shadow. The hellhounds breed here, along with harpies and a few others. I don’t know why they aren’t in Tartarus with the rest of the monsters, but I suppose my father permits them to remain here. I remember Mrs. O’Leary, Percy’s hellhound, and think that there might be a good reason.

As I walk, feeling the ice form and fade around my heart, I see a tiny smudge of shadow to the side. It squirms just slightly, so I go and take a look. It is a tiny hellhound. The runt of its litter, it has been left out to die so the rest can survive. Nature is cruel. I walk on, ignoring its pitiful cries. I reach the banks of the river Lethe, the river of forgetfulness. I swam in it once before, but I fought to regain my past, and while I don’t actually remember it, I learned it. I consider it again. I could have a fresh start, but again, it would cause more problems than it would solve. I step back from the river bank and sit, letting the shadows shift over me.

After some time, I hear the cry again. It is the underworld, so things are crying and mourning near constantly, but I somehow know this cry is the puppy hell hound. Hellpuppy, if that’s the word. An idea occurs to me, and I run back, picking up the tiny creature. He seems emaciated, if that is possible for a creature of shadow. I pick him up and feed the creature a tiny trickle of energy. He squirms in my arms but settles quickly. I feel myself relax, the emotional swings calming down. I shadow travel back to cabin 13. Jacob is sitting on his bed.

“Nico, where have you been?”

I smile slightly “Getting you a present. Here, he’s called a hellpuppy.” I place the dog into Jacob’s arms.

Jacob scratches the puppy behind the ears “He’s really hungry.” He frowns “My old dog ate dog food before she died, but I think Obsidian is different.”

I ask “Is that his name?”

Jacob nods “Yes. That’s his name. What does he eat?”

I reply “I have no idea.”

Jacob grins “He says he can eat energy. When he’s older, he’ll hunt his own energy, but he’s hungry now. How do I… Oh.” Jacob appears to be communicating with the puppy. I feel a stream of power flow from him into the hound. I can actually see the puppy growing.

I say “Good night, Jacob. Don’t stay up too late playing with your new friend.”

He replies “Okay” but I know he’ll be up for a while. I fall asleep quickly, drained from the day’s events.


	15. Chapter 15

Of course, the rest of camp is not too happy about the acquisition of a Hellhound. I am inwardly amused at all of the fuss the next morning.

Jacob looks tired when I wake him up for breakfast, but he is soon bouncing off the walls with energy. The dog slept at the foot of his bed. We walk down to the Big House. Breakfast is almost always indoors because of the cold temperatures. It is December, and we’ll probably see snow soon. I let my brother go in first. I watch conversation cease as everyone notices the Hellhound. A few people grab for knives and start to stand up. Chiron demands “What is this? Who summoned a Hellhound?” I wait just out of sight.

Jacob looks up “He’s my hellpuppy. His name is Obsidian. Do you want to pet him?” I peer into the room, just so I can catch Chiron’s expression. He looks furious then swallows it.

Chiron questions “And where did you get your new pet?”

Jacob replies “Nico brought him for me. Isn’t he cute?” It is unclear from the syntax whether he means me or the hound. I assume it is the hound. I step around the door, into the full gaze of everyone. For once, I don’t really mind. I go and fill my plate with food, grabbing an empty seat. I meet the eyes of everyone with an assessing look, with perhaps a hint of amusement.

Jacob comes up and sits next to me. “Sit, boy.” The hellpuppy jumps up and sits on the empty chair next to Jacob. A slight smile crosses my face. Everyone slowly looks away and conversations pick up where they left off.

I had been ignoring the Iris messages from my sister. They weren’t important compared to my fury. I decide to give her a call back this morning. I head out to a pond in the forest where it is easy to make a rainbow. I feed the rainbow the requisite golden drachma, and Hazel picks up almost instantly. “Nico, are you okay?”

I reply “I’m fine. I had something bothering me, but it is resolved now.” Aside from the emotion I carry within me.

“Why did you abduct Reyna? And why didn’t you tell me we had a brother?”

I wince. Of course Hazel is going to berate me. “Reyna ordered me to abduct her. She wanted some sort of Senate issue postponed.”

Hazel frowns “Oh, that makes sense. One of the senators wanted to go hunt you down. Frank discouraged them, but that explains why Reyna was so amused. Anyway, why didn’t you tell me about Jacob?”

I shrug “It didn’t occur to me. Sorry. I was still trying to deal with it, and resolve his family situation.”

Hazel asks “Is his mother okay?”

I reply “I don’t know.” I decide not to tell Hazel about recent events. She, although a daughter of Pluto, wouldn’t quite understand. I add “I only just got the reason he left. I’ll go talk to his mom, reassure her that Jacob is okay.” I pause and think about what would placate Hazel “How about I bring Jacob down at Christmas to meet all of you guys?”

Hazel looks surprised “Yeah, sure. We were planning to have a party with Percy and Annabeth and a few other people. Actually, if you are coming, could you bring Leo and Calypso?”

I reply “I’ll ask them. Leo might prefer to ride his giant chicken, though.”

“What?” Hazel obviously hadn’t heard the story, so I regale her with Leo’s exploits. It is nice to talk to my sister. Finally, we say goodbye, and I promise to bring Jacob to see her a few days before Christmas. Then I return to camp to face the music.

I sit on the thirteenth picnic table and wait with a slight amused smirk on my face. I wait for people to approach and challenge me about the hellpuppy. Connor approaches first. He sits across from me, a fairly friendly approach. I let him speak first. The silence stretches, then Connor says “Hey, Nico, how are you doing?”

“Well, and you?”

“I’m doing okay.” I wait, letting Connor grow uncomfortable. He finally cuts to the point. “Nico, is it safe for Jacob to have that thing?”

I ask “You mean Obsidian, the hellpuppy?”

Connor shrugs “Yeah, I mean, he’s sort of a monster and all.”

I challenge “Didn’t you meet Mrs. O’Leary?”

“Yeah, but they’re usually monsters.”

I relax and sit back, conveying a sense of calm “Jacob is perfectly safe. I won’t guarantee that the hound won’t defend Jacob, but he’ll be quite safe.” I add “You know Jacob can talk with Obsidian. I can only get a few general impressions, but Jacob has a telepathic link with the puppy.”

Connor seems surprised “Really? Why can he do it and not you?”

I reply with a small smile “Our powers are different. Does every child of Hermes have the same skill set? I know my boyfriend couldn’t shoot accurately to save his life.”

Connor shrugs “That makes sense. So your powers are more in the death realm, your sister has gold and stuff, leaving Jacob with what? Monster communication skills?”

I shake my head “No, shadow.”

Connor asks “But don’t you shadow travel?”

I reply “Yes, but that is one of the more difficult skills for me. I kept ending up in China.” I see Chiron walking over. I glance at Chiron. Connor follows my gaze and gets up and leaves, waving to Chiron as he passes.

Chiron begins “I hope I didn’t interrupt your conversation with Connor.”

I reply “It is fine. What can I do for you, esteemed camp director?” Sarcasm always flies over his head, or maybe he deliberately ignores it. I’m not sure.

“How and why did you bring a demon into camp?”

I shrug “I just shadow traveled with him. I was wandering around the fields of desolation and the creature looked so pitiful that I brought him back. Shouldn’t every boy have a dog?”

Chiron frowns, processing that. “You are saying that you felt bad for a monster and brought him home?”

I shrug and wave my hand in a dismissive fashion “He’s not a monster. He’s an impressionable young puppy that will grow up to be a very, very good friend and defender.”

Chiron sighs “Fine, but if he hurts anyone, I’m throwing you both out of camp.” I know he is serious about the puppy, but not about me. He can’t throw demigods out of camp without retaliation from our godly parents. That’s the problem with being Chiron.

I smile, an insincere effort “Sure, I’ll see you later Chiron.” He leaves, still annoyed at me.

It is a while before the next person comes up. Fortunately, Valdez is quite direct. “Nico, is that hellpuppy safe? Or are going to wake up and find that he killed everybody like one of those freaky movies?”

I reply “Absolutely.”

Leo frowns “Really? Because I didn’t think you were a murderer.”

I control my flinch, but Leo notices something. I speak in clipped tones “The puppy is harmless unless someone tries to hurt Jacob. They can communicate telepathically so the hound will always follow Jacob’s direction as long as he is nice to him. Hellhounds are one of those borderline monsters. You can make them into your monster, or leave them out to be hardened by fate and cruelty.”

Leo replies “So the hound isn’t dangerous unless you poke it with a stick?”

I nod “Basically.” I let the silence stretch so Valdez will feel compelled to leave.

He stands “I’ve got to go see Calypso so, yeah.” He scurries off. It is far too easy to make him feel uncomfortable. If I wasn’t in a bad mood, and Leo could actually hear sarcasm, I might not have made that so uncomfortable. Maybe.

And here comes the next person to complain about the new camp pet. Only this one doesn’t care about the safety of camp. He just wants to kill me. Good thing I’m in a mood to fight. Sherman stands a seemingly safe distance away and challenges “Nico, you are dangerous to this camp and it is wrong to bring a monster into the camp. You need to kill it immediately.”

I stand a fold my arms “No. You’ll have to go through me to kill the puppy.”

Sherman crows triumphantly “Then I challenge you to a duel.” I don’t think he realizes how stupid he sounds. Children of Ares are so annoying. He adds “No one can beat the children of the god of war in a sword fight.” 

I roll my eyes “When do you wish to fight?”

He yells “Now! In the practice ring.” I gesture for him to precede me. Should I beat him quickly, or make him suffer for a long time? Either way, the scare tactics can start now. As he walks in front of me I place my sword at his throat. He freezes.

I whisper “Do you think it is really wise to challenge the son of Hades in open battle?” I remove the sword from his skin and sheath it in one continuous motion. Sherman looks rattled but I see determination in his eyes. This fight will be fun.

The crowd comes very quickly. I suspect Sherman told everyone of his intent, because the entire Ares cabin has front row seats. Sherman is a very good fighter, so the trick will be to keep him off balance and prevent him from finding a rhythm. As soon as we reach the ring, Sherman attacks. No need for judges or referees, or to set conditions. He wants me dead.

He is fast; the children of Ares are almost always the fastest, bravest, most daring fighters. They also die far more often. I sink into a very economical style. He is stronger than I expected. I wait patiently as I counter each blow. I watch the confidence grow, taking smaller steps and allowing myself to be pushed back. I wait for that one miscalculation, borne of the overconfidence Sherman displays. I am almost out of space, and then I see the smirk spread across his face. He starts a very well practiced combination. I counter just in time, avoiding the slice meant for my throat. I switch to Percy’s style for a few moves, sliding past Sherman’s guard. I open a shallow slice across his chest. It is a chance for him to call the match off before someone gets seriously injured. He jumps and attacks. I counter and go on the offensive, using my sword the way it is designed to be used. My sword is shorter and straighter than most, allowing me to slide in and out of range like a shadow on a cloudy day.

It doesn’t take much longer for me to disarm Sherman. After his sword falls, he draws a knife. It doesn’t exactly abide by the principles of good sportsmanship, but we didn’t set rules. I circle around him and pick up his sword. I put his sword and mine outside of the ring. I draw a knife and stare him down. Sherman grins, lost in the heat of battle, swimming in a stew of adrenaline. I can’t say I am any different. I feel a smile spread across my face. I am really having fun now.

Knife fighting has a different rhythm. Knives are fast and vicious. There are many pauses while you stare each other down, then a few seconds of sudden movement. I watch Sherman’s hand hover over a hidden sheath on the outside of his thigh. I know he is going to draw it when I close on that side. He gives me a perfect opportunity to strike that side, but I know it is a trap. I take the bait anyway, and move at the last second. I hear a hiss from the crowd. That is cheating, and it was obvious to everyone. It is also quite obvious that that would have killed me.

I take a step back and draw a second knife. I watch as Sherman sees his chances slipping away. A second before he attacks, I cross my blades and launch myself towards him. He falls back into a classic two knife defense. I spin and strike erratically, unleashing my fury with him. He has tried to kill me three times, and that is far too many. He has threatened those who I care for, and that leaves me with no mercy. I don’t strike for death blows, instead inflicting smaller wounds as I dodge around his guard. I take a knife to the shoulder, but I don’t react to the pain or the blood now dripping down my arm. I see Sherman falter, looking horrified, and I take him down.

With one knife at his throat and the other poking his belly, I see terror in his eyes. I stare him down, bringing my breathing back under control and hoping it will clear the red from my vision. My eyes are cold, but my heart beats pure fury. Sherman whimpers “Are you going to kill me?” His breath is whispery, and he reeks of terror. I rein back my anger, reminding myself that he is only 15. I cannot kill him, as much as I would like. I step back and return my knives to their hidden pockets. I offer him a hand up. He stares at my hand like it is poisonous and I grin, amused. He finally takes my hand and I pull him up. He questions “You were drawing me out, at the beginning, right?” I nod. He asks “How did you avoid the second knife?”

I allow my face to return to its normal blank expression, but I let the corners of my eyes convey amusement. I glance at my shoulder, see the blood and make a face of discomfort. It hurts now, but I didn’t feel it in the heat of battle. I shake Sherman’s hand and say “Good fight. Maybe we’ll do it again sometime.” My crazy grin seals the deal. He gulps and I step back and turn away. I see one of his campers run out on the field, just as he starts to collapse. She catches him. Blood loss isn’t very fun to deal with. I suspect it will take him a week or two to recover from the damage. Children of Ares heal battle wounds faster than most. I walk off the field, now soaked with blood.

I see a sight I was not expecting. I walk quickly to the son of Apollo. “Will?” I ask “What are you doing here?”

He scowls “Coming to see you. Why is it that every time I see you, you are injured?”

I smile, a real smile “I don’t know, but you just made my day.” I hug him, and it hurts my shoulder and gets blood on his shirt, but I know he won’t care. I lean on him just a little bit.

Will pulls back and says “Let’s fix up the shoulder of yours.” He takes my good hand and pulls me to the infirmary.


	16. Chapter 16

Will comments “You’re an idiot, you know.”

I ask “What did I do this time?”

Will glares at me “Do you realize that this wound goes all the way down to your bone?”

I don’t shrug, because my shoulder does hurt. Will must have gotten the message anyway because he remarks “Your pain tolerance is remarkable.”

I mutter “Not much choice in the matter.”

Will asks “So why were you fighting Sherman in the first place?”

I reply “It’s complicated.” I am saved from more of an explanation by the entrance of Jacob and his Hellpuppy.

Will jumps up “Why is there a hellhound in camp?” I realize he is holding a scalpel and standing in front of me, but doesn’t make any aggressive movements.

Jacob smiles “This is my dog, Obsidian. Is Nico okay?”

Will looks speechless for a minute. I interrupt “Will, meet Jacob, my brother. Jacob, this is my boyfriend Will. He is fixing up my shoulder.”

Jacob asks “Are you sure you are okay? Obsidian says that you were hurt bad, he could feel the energy and blood.”

I smile “I’m fine. Really.” Obsidian comes over and sniffs me, putting his paws on my lap. I scratch behind his ears. I order Jacob “Go play, and inform people that I’m not dead yet. Introduce your friends to Obsidian. Everyone likes a cute puppy.”

Jacob runs up and gives me a hug. “I’m very happy that you’re not dead, Nico.”

I laugh softly “Thanks, brother. Now off you go, Will is waiting for his chance to yell at me.”

Jacob frowns, looking at Will. I order “Go, I’ll be fine.” Jacob shrugs and runs out of the room, Obsidian following on his heels.

Will sits down next to me. “You have a brother?” I nod. Will asks “You brought your brother a Hellhound for a pet. Then Sherman didn’t like that, so you fought him. You realize he’s going to have some awesome scars?”

I reply “That’s the third time he’s tried to kill me. The other one involved poison. I had to do something.”

Will questions “So you mutilated him in front of a crowd of people? That’s not going to gain you any points.”

I complain “He cheated, twice. Besides, I avoided his pretty face.”

Will throws back his head and laughs. I love that golden laugh of his, full of true joy and fun. He comments “You are so infuriating sometimes.”

I pout and ask “Only sometimes?” I lean in.

Will pulls me in and kisses me. I feel heat fill my veins again, but it is very different from before. This feels good, so I deepen the kiss, putting my arms around Will. He pulls back a minute later, asking “When did you become such a good kisser?”

I just smile slightly, looking down. I hear a knock on the door. We jump apart, but are still holding hands when Chiron walks in. Will hurries back around to my injured shoulder, placing a bandage over the stitches he put in a few minutes ago. I begin “Chiron, how delightful to see you.”

He scowls “Don’t be sarcastic, Di Angelo. It doesn’t become you.”

Will mutters “Oh but it does.” I twitch a smile in his direction.

Chiron begins cautiously.  “I haven’t seen knife fighting like that for centuries, Nico.”

I reply sarcastically “Thanks.”

Chiron adds “Your sword work is also excellent.”

I tap my foot “I feel like this is going somewhere.”

Chiron makes a face “Your archery is also amazing for someone not a child of Apollo. You are doing a spectacular job training your brother.”

I demand “And?”

Chiron looks annoyed “So I am offering you the position of weapons master. It will become your duty to run weapons practice, but you are more than welcome to delegate to others in areas you feel they could teach well.”

I lean back and cross my arms “Am I understanding this correctly? You want me to teach others my misguided, hellish ways?” I feed his words back to him.

 Chiron sighs “No, well, yes. You’ve beaten everyone at camp who fights well, except perhaps Percy, and you do a spectacular imitation of his style. Don’t think I don’t know why. Are you willing to step up and contribute to this camp?”

I grin, one of my crazier smiles “Why in hell not?”

Chiron looks like he is choking but says “I expect you to start as soon as you have healed.” He spins on his hooves and walks out the door.

Will shakes his head at me “You are so mean to him.”

I shrug, feeling the stitches pull. “Someone has to remind him that not everyone can be a hero, and he is responsible for all demigods, not just the shining stars.”

Will sighs “Nico, you are one of the shining stars.”

I shake my head “I’m really not.”

Will sighs “Nico, you are brave and strong and you help people all the time.”

I meet his eyes and reply “I really am not. My path is through death, Will. I killed someone just yesterday, and I nearly killed Sherman today.”

Will crosses his arms “If you killed someone, you had a good reason. And Sherman probably deserved it, but you didn’t kill him. That makes you good in my book.”

I stare off in the distance “Thanks, Will. I hope you are right.”

Will takes my hand “Come on, let’s go have lunch. I want to meet your brother properly. And I want the full story behind the Hellpuppy.”

I happily follow him. I am always starving after a fight.

 

I postpone another day before I do the thing I’ve been dreading. I visit Jacobs’s mom. I arrive down the street at the closest point I can travel to and I start walking. I memorized the map during my illicit trip to the library computer. I have directions in my pocket in case I need them. It is early in the evening, but shadows are beginning to fall. The nights are getting very cold now, especially this far north. In another week, there will probably be snow.

I find the house I am looking for. The neighborhood isn’t great, but it isn’t too terrible either. In the day, this is probably one of the better places in this area. Chicago is not a pretty city right now. I knock on the door, noting the stark contrast between the white door and the black frame. I hear a voice from inside “Come in.” I twist the knob, but the door is locked.

I reply “The door is locked.”

The reply is odd “Will a little lock stop you?” She sounds like she is taunting me. “You never needed a door before.” Her words are slurred.

I shadow travel inside the room, fearing what I will find. She laughs “Hades. You finally came back.”

I shake my head and flip on the light. She winces at the brightness. I counter “I am not my father, nor a god.” I can smell alcohol, and there is a bottle of vodka on the table in front of her. I add “But I do have news of Jacob. He is doing well.”

She starts crying, then glares at me angrily “Who the hell are you?”

I reply “I am Nico, Jacob’s brother.”

“I don’t have any other children.”

I reply “We share the same father, and many of the same powers.” I take the bottle away from her unresisting grasp and open a window to toss it out. I let the cool air fill the room. I start the coffee, and look through the cabinets for grounds. I only cook when I’m camping out, but I do know how to make coffee. I am Italian, after all. When the coffee is ready, I bring a mug to Jacob’s mom. The mug wasn’t very clean, but I figure the hot water will take care of it.

She grabs my wrist “Do you know where Jacob is?”

I reply “He is at camp and safe. He is healthy and doing very well with his studies.” I note how drunk and slurred her words are.

“Can you bring my baby back to me?”

I stand, suddenly not wanting to be in that house anymore. It is a very irrational feeling, one of disgust, and I usually never feel that way. I look around for magical compulsions and see just the faintest trace of darkness around the table. The table is cursed. I reply “When you aren’t drunk, perhaps. Jacob ran because he was terrified.”

She snarls “I’m not a drunkard. It’s your fault for taking my son from me, Hades.”

She thinks I am my father. It is very disconcerting. I don’t reply as I study the darkness on the table. I am no sorcerer, but it looks like a curse to me, a very nasty curse. I decide to take a risk and touch it. I immediately feel hungry. My stomach roiling, I jerk away. I feel better almost immediately, but I know this is god level magic. More specifically, this curse is goddess magic. I know who did this, and I know exactly where she is right now.

I inform Jacob’s mother “I will be back tomorrow afternoon, when you aren’t drunk. I recommend that you drink that coffee and get a good night’s rest. Go to your job, if you still have one. If I don’t get myself blasted into pieces before then, I’ll be here tomorrow.”

She stares at me “Where are you going?”

I reply “Back to hell.” 


	17. Chapter 17

I stride towards the throne room of the underworld with a confident stride and murder in my eyes. I might get blasted, but this has to stop. I slam open the doors with my power. They thud against the stone walls, the whole building vibrates. I see my father and Persephone stand on the far side of the room. I know the archers are aiming at me, but my face is very clear, and they are under orders not to fire at me after the last incident.

My father uses his godly voice “NICO, MY SON, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

I stop in the exact center of the room. “My quarrel is not with you, father. I have come to speak to the lovely lady beside you.”

My father responds sternly “Anything regarding her includes me.”

I laugh bitterly “You might not want to claim that, for it regards your own half-blood children.” I let that resound in the hall. My father dismisses his courtiers with a wave, and they file out, leaving a very large circle around me.

Once the doors close again, Lord Hades commands “Speak, and I will judge.”

I begin in accordance with the old Greek tradition “I come from the house of Jacob’s mother. She is understandably distraught and all, but what shocked me was the curse laid on her table. I am sure you, Queen Persephone, know the importance of the table in keeping the family strong. After all, it was food from the table that caused you to remain here. The table is the center of the household, the tie that binds a house together. When the table is cursed, friends refrain from visiting, family is driven away. The food no longer tastes appetizing, and hunger grows. No matter how hard the mother works, the family will never have enough. The mother is driven to despair and the child to flee. Although no magic falls on the child, the child is cursed. It is the perfect scheme, systematically destroying the support for the children of Hades. The children are cursed, but not by magic. They are cursed by having their families pulled from them, piece by piece.”

Persephone snarls “You have nothing to support your accusations. I have never cursed the children of my husband, nor his mortal mistresses.”

I continue in a calmer tone. “Jacob’s table is cursed, his house was visited by evil spirits and he fled. The presence of the curse is unquestionable. The power of the curse indicates very powerful godly origin. The type of magic invokes a destruction of the fruits of nature. It is amazing that the family hasn’t starved. But that was never the intention of the curse, was it, Dark Queen? The curse was to sap their strength.” I hold up a hand. “There is more. This is not just about Jacob. Marie Levesque was driven by hunger, a desire for more. She was never full, always trying to find something to fill the pit where her table should have been. The request was the perfect opportunity to add in a little curse, one of death and destruction. Because of that curse, the war with the giants nearly arrived before its time.”

I pause, letting the silence grow. Persephone looks furious. I declare “There is more. My own mother was struck down, from on high by lightning. How did the God of the Sky find those of the underworld? Someone must have told him, probably fed him bad information. For all his faults, Zeus rarely tries to kill mortals. My mother had remarkable clear sight and would have noticed a curse. So rather than a slow end, with her table cursed, she was struck down. It seems more that mere coincidence does it not? Godly interference, perhaps.”

Lord Hades looks furious. Persephone crosses her arms “Say it, Nico.”

I take a step forward “I challenge you, Queen of the Damned, to answer. Have you wished harm upon the children of Hades or their mothers?”

Persephone snarls “Wish, perhaps. Took any action, no.” I am sure I don’t look convinced. She glances at Hades. She declares “I swear on the river Styx that I have taken no action against my husband’s mortal lovers nor his half-blood children.”

I wait for her to be struck down, or whatever happens when you take a false oath. Nothing happens, so I raise my hands in question. I make my voice light and mocking “Then who did, Queen Persephone? Who would curse those that Hades loves?”

I watch her face. She doesn’t know, but is now thinking about it. I see true fury in her features, not the annoyance she displayed at my accusations. She screams “MOTHER!” I drop to the ground and cover my eyes as Persephone assumes her true form. When the light goes away, I stand back up.

My father has taken a seat back on his throne. He comments “That was really stupid of you.”

I shrug “I wanted an honest answer. Surprise works well for that.”

He shakes his head “I nearly let her vaporize you.”

I meet his eyes “She wouldn’t. I remind her of you, somehow.”

He just stares at me “Now I think that was an even stupider risk. She would love to vaporize me.”

Persephone reappears on her throne. She addresses me “It was my mother. She will lift the curses, and I made her swear on the river Styx, or spring will never come again.”

I bow “Thank you, my Queen. I fully apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused by disrupting your court today.”

She gives a queenly wave of her hand “It is nothing. The mortal children of my husband are far more important than a few dead courtiers.”

Hades takes her hand “Do you really feel that way?”

Persephone looks down, then up “Yes.”

Hades questions “Why? You have been far more faithful to me than I to you?”

Persephone blushes, and looks ashamed if that is possible. “Not really. I have mortal children.”

Hades exclaims “What? Where?”

Persephone looks miserable. “They’re in my mother’s cabin. She told me that you would destroy them, and I believed her at first. Then I knew you wouldn’t and I just didn’t want to rock the boat.”

Hades pulls back and scowls “Why tell me now?”

She smiles back at him “The subject came up.”

Hades takes her hand and kisses it “You, my dear Queen, are irascible.”

She purrs back “And you, my delightful King, are as bold as ever.” She leans in as they lock lips.

I decide it is long past time to get out of that throne room.

By the time I arrive back at camp, it is nearly ten o’clock. I go to my cabin, looking for my brother. It is past his bedtime. I find Will instead. He is sitting in the couch in front of the fire in the corner of the room. The fire wasn’t lit when I left. He asks “Nico, what were you doing?”

I reply “Nearly getting myself blasted by the esteemed Queen Persephone.”

Will looks at me “Seriously. Why are you back so late? Jacob was worried.”

I shrug “I told him I might be late. And I was actually accusing the Queen of the Underworld of cursing my mother and Jacob’s.”

Will asks “Why are you not dead? And was she?”

I shake my head “No, it was her mother.”

Will asks incredulously “Demeter? She is pretty crazy.”

I confirm “She laid a curse on Jacob’s table. The type that makes labor come to naught and brings evil spirits. She swore to lift it, and I’m going back tomorrow. Where’s Jacob?”

Will replies “He’s having a sleepover with his friends at the Hermes cabin. He actually wasn’t worried, but Connor was. I was worried.” I flip on the lights, the real ones, not the creepy green torches. Will’s jaw drops.

I drop next to him on the couch. “Welcome to the Hades cabin.”

Will looks amazed “Are the gold and jewels real?”

I reply “Hazel helped me build the place. My father is lord of riches as well. His palace is far more impressive.” I grin eerily “Perhaps I’ll take you for a visit someday.”

Will laughs and leans on me. “Nico, sometimes I can’t tell if you are joking or not.”

I kiss him gently on the temple “Sometimes I don’t know either. Thanks for waiting for me.”

Will sighs contentedly “Just tell me where you are going, and when you’ll be back.”

I smile “Maybe next time.”

Unfortunately, Jason and Piper arrive back to camp the next morning. Piper goes to a special school, and they apparently get out early for Christmas break. After learning from Will’s siblings and Connor that we spent the night unsupervised in my cabin, it is amazing I make it ten minutes before threatening to decapitate Jason.

Jason and Piper started with glances at each other, deciding who should start. Piper begins “So I heard that Nico came back last night and Will might have been waiting for him.”

Jason adds “So tell me how that went.”

I roll my eyes and cross my arms. Will replies “Didn’t you arrive last night as well?”

Jason fakes being angelic “No, we arrived this morning.”

I mutter “In time for breakfast? I hate morning people.”

Will smacks me. He is a morning person. Unfortunately, that causes another set of speculative looks from Jason and Piper. Piper mock whispers “Do you think they did it?”

Jason grins evilly “I think so.” Why do people take such delight in teasing others? Are their own lives so boring that they have to make other people miserable?

Will tries for innocence “Did what?”

Jason and Piper start cracking up. Will shows signs of a smile. I elbow him, not too hard, and threaten Jason and Piper “Shut up, or I’m going to behead both of you.” Fortunately, they think I am joking and keep laughing. I decide a topic change is in order before I lose my temper “Are you planning to attend the Christmas party?”

Will demands “What party?”

I reply “You’re invited. Percy and Annabeth’s Christmas party. Hazel told me about it.”

Piper replies “Yeah, we’re going. It’s on Christmas Eve. Right, Jason?”

Jason gulps “Yeah, of course.”

Piper smacks him “You forgot.”

Jason shrugs “Maybe a little. But I’m excited to go.”

I make my face very solemn “I forgot to ask Leo if he needs a ride. I told Hazel he would prefer to ride his magic chicken, but I should ask anyway.” I get up and walk over to Leo’s table. I walk up behind him silently “Hey Leo.”  

He jumps and turns to face me. “What?”

I reply “I’m sorry, did I startle you? Hazel told me to ask you if you would need a ride to the Christmas party.”

Calypso looks amused. She replies “We would be delighted to have a ride. I don’t think the chicken will be in good shape to ride.”

Leo scowls. I reply “I won’t leave without you. I hope you will enjoy New Rome.”

I return to my table, hearing Calypso question Leo “What party did you forget to invite me too?” I smirk inwardly. Leo shouldn’t have forgotten to invite his girlfriend. Then I laugh to myself about how hypocritical that is.

When I return to my table, I notice that Piper has an intent look in her eye and Will looks uncomfortable. Jason looks fascinated. I decide to rescue Will. I declare “I’m bringing Jacob to the Christmas party, and he’ll bring Obsidian. Do you think Annabeth will be okay with that?”

Jason asks “What about Percy?”

I reply “Jacob’s a cute child. Percy won’t care.”

Piper smiles “Yes, and Annabeth will probably be fine with it.” Just then, Jacob comes running to breakfast. Apparently Connor let him sleep in an extra ten minutes.

“Yeah, Nico, you came back.” He give me a hug.

I put a hand under his shoulders and lift him onto the chair beside me “I’ll always come back for you, silly. Do you want to go to a Christmas party? You’ll get to meet all of my friends, and there should be lots of cookies.”

Jacob smiles “Cookies? Sure. Will you friends be boring?”

Will laughs lightly “No, Nico’s friends aren’t boring. If you ask Hazel or Frank, they’ll tell you how Nico got turned into a plant.”

I mutter “Shut up, Solace.” But the damage is done.

Jacob eyes open wide “Nico got turned into a plant? Are there pictures?”

Piper grins “I like this kid.”

Jacob turns to her “Who are you?” His focus is easily diverted, unless he wants something.

Piper replies “I’m Piper, Jason’s boyfriend and a daughter of Aphrodite.”

Jacob responds “That must be why you are so pretty. I’m delighted to meet you.” He extends a hand for her to shake.

Jason looks slightly uncomfortable, Piper looks amused, and Will starts choking. I ask “Who taught you to say that, Jacob?”

Jacob thinks for a second “Jason did. He said that’s what I should say if I met a pretty girl.”

Will chuckles “And he’s absolutely right. Perfect execution.” He reaches over and ruffles Jacob’s hair. It is good to have friends. Jacob is going to love the party, and they’re all going to love having a kid around. And the Hellhound should add a bit of spice.


	18. Chapter 18

I tell Will that I will be away for the afternoon this time. It takes just a moment to appear in a late shadow in front of Jacob’s mother’s house. I walk to the front and knock on the door. I hear a peephole cover open, and a deadbolt slide back. At least the front door wasn’t wide open this time. The door opens slowly. Jacob’s mother stands in the door “I was hoping you were a bad dream.”

She does look a bit better. I reply coldly “I am quite real, thank you all the same.”

She sighs “Come in.”

I follow her inside. She gestures me to a chair in the kitchen. “Can I get you a cup of coffee? I think this will be a long discussion.”

I reply “Sure.” She pours the cup and hands it to me “Thanks.” I take a sip. Not as good as my coffee, but coffee is coffee.

She starts with a sigh “I don’t remember much from last night, but I’m pretty sure you were here.” I nod. “And you said Jacob was okay?”

I reply “He’s doing quite well.”

She sighs and leans back in relief. “I was so worried. No one could find him, and then everyone seemed to leave me when I needed them most. Now, you said you were Jacob’s brother. How?”

I respond “We share a father.”

She sighs “How is that possible? The man I dated eight years ago was far too young to have another child your age.”

She doesn’t know Hades is a god. I ask “What did my father tell you his name was?”

Mrs. Jones asserts “His real name was John Smith, but he told me to call him Hades.”

I decide not to be subtle “That’s because he is the Greek god Hades.”

She springs up and yells “You’re joking.”

I scoff “Come on, you didn’t think he was a regular person, did you?”

She shrieks “I knew he was odd, but he didn’t tell me he was a freaking god. What was he doing in the slums anyway?”

I reply “Only he knows.” I wait.

Mrs. Jones drops back into her seat “Fine. Suppose Jacob’s father is a Greek God. What happens now? And where is he? I want to see my son.” It seems far too easy for her to accept that.

I shrug “He’s happy at camp Half-blood, but he misses you quite a bit. He’s still scared to come home though.”

She frowns “Why?”

I fake nonchalance “Some boyfriend or something? I won’t force him to come back, but if he’s gone…”

She complains “He left ages ago. Besides, I read the other day that he had his head chopped off in front of a child.” I try not to wince. She frowns “Wait, Hades is a god? Why didn’t he like build me a palace or something? And why didn’t he help Jacob?”

I shrug “I don’t pretend to understand gods, my father especially, but he almost certainly helped Jacob. He reached me safe and only a little shaken up.”

She concedes “When can I see Jacob? Where is he?”

She is still distraught and not thinking clearly. I smell only a slight amount of alcohol on her breath, but I’m not bringing Jacob here now. I caution “Jacob is safe and happy. I’ll bring him here when you are actually sober. Also, look around your house.”

She accuses “You are being cruel. Let me see my son.” She is shouting on the last few words and stands, shaking a fist at me.

I stand and take a step back. I don’t want a fight here. My hand rests lightly on my sword, out of habit that became instinct. Her eyes fall to the blade “Oh my god, you killed him. You killed Ulrick, in front of a child.” I can hear the condemnation in her voice, and the fear in her eyes.

I meet her eyes “What did you think my father is lord of?” I decide it is prudent to leave. I touch the table before I vanish into the shadow beside the door. The curse is gone, but the effects may linger for some time.

Back at camp I just sit at the picnic table. Will is busy in the infirmary and Jason and Piper vanished into the woods together. Leo and Calypso have also vanished somewhere. So I am sitting and watching my brother and his friends play with Obsidian. They have all become quite accustomed to the huge puppy, and I can tell he is being very gentle with them. One of the children shouts “Let’s see if we can catch Sid!” That’s Obsidian’s new nickname. “Jacob, tell him to run fast, and we’ll catch him.” Jacob grins and Obsidian takes off. Then he vanishes into a shadow and reappears by the next building. The children take off running, and Obsidian jumps to the next shadow. I shake my head, shadow travel, already. Jacob is going to be very strong in the force. Well, the dark side of the force at any rate. I feel a slight smile stretch across my face.

The smile vanishes as soon as Sherman sits down across from me. I say nothing. He looks nervous, but not antagonistic. “Nico,” He begins hesitantly “I asked Chiron for a sword lesson, and he said I had to talk to you because you were the new weapons master.”

I scowl “Ask someone else. You wanted to kill me last week.”

He brags “I can beat everyone else at camp.”

I question “Did you try Jason?”

Sherman replies “He’s never here, and you beat him anyway.”

I think for a minute. I don’t want to teach Sherman, but I did accept the responsibility of weapons master from Chiron. I don’t really care for responsibility, and I wouldn’t have done it if I knew I would have to teach Sherman, but I suppose I don’t have a choice. “Fine. What do you want to learn, and when do you want to start?”

Sherman asks “Can you teach me your style? I just mostly want to improve my sword work. I could start now.”

I sigh and say “Let’s go.” As we walk I say “I probably won’t teach you my style, it just wouldn’t work for you. I can show you how to improve your own.”

Sherman replies “I don’t have a style.”

“You do, but your footwork needs a great deal of help. Have you ever had a proper sword lesson?” I know I sound skeptical, but I’m not going to make this easy for him.

“Sure I have. I learned from Clarisse with the rest of my cabin.”

I ask “And which techniques did Clarisse tell you were most important?”

“To follow my instincts in a fight.”

I shake my head “That works, to a certain extent. If you are against a more skilled opponent, it doesn’t. You have to fight smarter, not harder. You probably have great instincts, because of your father. Other people have to work a bit harder.”  We reach the practice courts. I put my sword to the side and toss Sherman a wooden stick. I’m not giving him another chance to kill me. He reluctantly puts his sword to the side. I challenge “Try and hit me.”

He starts out with a stab straight at me. I move away. I spend the next few minutes being a very elusive target. I watch Sherman’s agitation grow. Finally I use one of Percy’s favorite techniques and knock the stick from his hand. I ask “What did you learn?”

Sherman looks furious. “I can’t hit you.  How do you do that?”

I reply “A lot of practice and faster enemies. Now, this time I’ll be hitting back.”

Sherman picks up his stick and looks more interested. He is much more careful, but I still score many more hits than he does. I wait until he is right in front of a mud puddle and then I snag his leg and topple him into the puddle. He hits himself in the head with the stick. I comment “Your footwork needs help. You are so busy trying to smack me that you didn’t plant your feet.”

Sherman scowls “First you want me to be faster, now you want me to plant my feet. I can’t do both at once.”

I smile “Sure you can. I do. You also need to be smarter, and more aware of your surroundings, else I wouldn’t have dumped you into the puddle. Did you even know you were about to step in mud?”

Sherman scowls “I do now.” I wait. He rolls his eyes “Fine, what can I do to improve?”

I tap my stick against the ground, trying to pin down how to correct the weaknesses I sense in his style. I nod “Move your weight forward, onto the balls of your feet just a little more. You tilt back a little when you fight. Also twist your forward foot just a couple of degrees. Now try a strike or two.” He is lighter, more balanced. I add “Move your back foot offline a little. Make sure you use your whole body when you try to land a strike.” My stick breaks, and Sherman presses his advantage. I slide to the side, trip him and put the remains of the stick to his throat. I add “Use your whole body, but don’t overextend. You will fight monsters with teeth and claws. Never assume that you have an advantage when their sword breaks. It takes less than an inch of blade to kill someone.” I go to retrieve another stick.

Sherman asks “Nico, how did you get to be so good?”

I smile grimly and allow my eyes to grow serious, putting the fading sun behind me so my eyes are darker. I reply “I’ve had a lot of people try to kill me, and monsters of all types. I’m no hero, so I rely on hard work to see me through. Children of Hades forge their own luck.” I tilt my head, considering the mud soaked Sherman. “I think your sword lesson is over for today. Practice those changes in your stance, and never go easy on the power in your blows. You’re a good swordsman, but you could be great.” I put my real sword back on.

I leave the practice court. Will just left the infirmary. I walk up to him. He asks “Why are you so sweaty?”

I reply “Sherman wanted a sword lesson.”

Will looks incredulous “And you gave him one? Wasn’t he trying to kill you just a few days ago?”

I shrug “We used wooden swords. It’s fine. And apparently my job now, to give lessons.”

Will asks “How did it go?”

I grin “I shoved him in the mud puddle and convinced him it was for his own good.”

Will laughs, and I take his hand. He asks “Are you ready for Capture the flag tonight?”

I shake my head “No I forgot. Which side am I on?”

Will teases “It’s my cabin, Sherman’s, Connor’s and Jason and Piper against you, Leo and Athena cabin. I forget where everyone else is. You’re going to be roasted.” I think about Obsidian and grin. I might just have a plan. I wonder if it counts if Obsidian takes the flag? We’ll find out tonight.

Malcolm, the Athena counselor, and I plan the attack. We have the Nike cabin, Demeter cabin, Hephaestus and Dionysus cabins. Oh, and Hypnos. Clovis is sleeping on the ground in front of the flag. This is going to take some careful manipulation. I agree on a plan with Malcolm. He likes it a lot. It is a clever plan. I gesture the Nike campers over “Girls, I have a very important mission for you.”

The sisters run over “What? Can we capture the flag and win?”

I nod solemnly “Yes. I want you to take the main route, over the bridge and straight to the flag. We will have distractions to draw others out of your path. It is the most direct route.” The girls are delighted. They high-five and run off, planning their attack. I notice that Leo keeps looking at me guiltily. I walk up behind Malcolm, making him jump. “Malcolm, can you ask Leo who is blackmailing him to betray us?”

Malcolm frowns “Are you sure?” I raise an eyebrow. He sighs “Fine, why don’t you go ask?”

I reply “He wouldn’t tell me. Not without a fight.”

Malcolm walks over, accepting the merit of my argument. I walk to the Demeter campers “Hey, I want you to make a perimeter by the border. If you feel like stabbing anyone with a sword, go ahead. If not, just shadow them and alert the Athena guards.” I hear Malcolm give the Hephaestus cabin their instructions. Leo looks terrified, so I wink at him, which probably doesn’t help anything. That’s okay, he’s just going to be a great flaming distraction. Actually, the more agitated he is the better. I smile at him, something I know he finds terrifying. I watch his shoulders tighten as he leads his cabin into the woods.

Malcolm asks me “Are you sure this is going to work?”

I nod “Absolutely. Chaos is the key.”

Malcolm snorts “We’ve certainly achieved that much. I’m not sure about the winning part.”

I smack him on the shoulder and he winces. I declare cheerily “Have faith. This will be lots of fun.” He cringes and tries not to show it. I am amused. You see, the plan is actually quite simple. Malcolm and I have sent a number of distractions to the other side.  His cabin will defend the border and I will guard the flag. My brother and Obsidian will go retrieve the flag, invisible or with shadow travel. They are expecting me to go for the flag, because that is what I have done the last few times. Jason is not expecting a flaming Leo to come ruin their carefully laid plans, or the team of Nike’s girls attacking down the middle. All I must do is wait for Piper and Jason to make it through the Athena cabin’s defensive line, and keep them from stealing the flag. Once I engage Jason, Jacob will go for the flag.

As it turns out I don’t have long to wait. Piper and Jason run into the clearing and stop, looking around. Piper pumps her hand “The flag is unguarded, come on, let’s go!”

Jason draws his sword “There’s a trick. I know there has to be. Malcolm would never leave the flag unguarded.”

Piper shrugs “Maybe I already magicked them away.”

Jason looks unconvinced “Maybe.” He looks around uncertainly, and then takes a step towards the flag. I draw my sword, step out from behind the tree and stalk towards them.

I comment “How delightful to see you. Of course someone is guarding the flag.”

Piper frowns “Nico, we are friends, right?”

I can feel the charmspeak but I reply with a smile “Of course, Piper.” I can hear Jason sneaking behind me towards the flag. I take a step towards him.

Piper smiles “Then you don’t want to get into a fight with my boyfriend again, after all it was so terrible last time.” She sounds so reasonable, but I really don’t like charmspeak.

I look her dead in the eyes “Actually, I rather enjoy fighting. I don’t know why you would try to convince me not to fight.” I shuffle towards Jason and spin, my sword blade coming down in front of his face. Jason parries with a ringing of metal.

Piper yells “Nico, you don’t want to fight. We are your friends; just let us take the flag and leave.” I catch Jason’s wrist in an unorthodox hold and push him to the ground, kicking his sword away. Jason makes eye contact with Piper, telling her to go for the flag.

I yell “Clovis, I did the hard part, now knock him out so I don’t have to.” Clovis looks up sleepily, grumbles something, waves his hand in a vague motion and lies back down. Jason stops struggling and starts snoring. I run towards Piper, who is sprinting for the flag. I face her with my sword drawn between us.

She is sometimes predictable “Nico, let me take the flag. It will be easy, you don’t even have to do anything. Clovis, wake Jason up.”

I scoff “Clovis is asleep, and I don’t really want to let you take the flag. There’s this thing called a game that I’m playing.”

Piper turns the charmspeak way up “Nico, put down your sword, you don’t want to hurt me.” I let the magic wash over me, and I slide through it. I throw back my head and laugh, bring my sword down in a butterfly cut. Piper steps back, parrying with her knife. She tries again “Nico, you don’t need to worry about me, I’m just going to walk back to the other side.”

I raise an eyebrow and inquire “With the flag?” I shake my head “Piper, you must think I am stupid or something.”

She stomps her foot, waving her knife “Why doesn’t charmspeak work on you?”

I shrug my shoulders loosely and roll my sword in a figure 8 pattern. I smile “Perhaps my will isn’t as weak as most poor mortals. Charmspeak works best if you reinforce something the other person wants to do, correct?” Piper nods, not sure where this is going. I continue “Well, I really don’t want to lose, and I never stop fighting. And I really, really hate charmspeak.” I spit the last word and attack, my blade a blur of light, in imitation of Jason. She fights viciously, as I would expect from her, but I disarm her and tell Clovis to put her to sleep. I have to poke him with my sword to wake him up, but I scare him enough in the waking world that he does it. In the dream world, we are on much more even footing. I go back behind the tree, to see if anyone else will try to take the flag. No one comes, and Jacob crosses the border a few minutes later, flag raised in celebration. The flag turns black, with a hellhound embroidered in silver with glowing red eyes.

Everyone goes crazy, and then Leo asks “Where did Piper and Jason go?”

I reply “Oh, they decided to take a nap. Ask Clovis to wake them up.”

Leo frowns “But you can never wake Clovis up.”

The Victor sisters shriek at me “Why didn’t you let us take the flag? We were winning.”

I glance at Sherman. He shakes his head and storms over “You were not winning. My cabin nearly defeated you.” I step back as they nearly come to blows over who was winning.

Malcolm walks up next to me “I cannot believe your plan worked. I think people often underestimate your intelligence, Nico.”

I reply with a hint of a smile “Thank you.”

Malcolm purses his lips and adds “They also underestimate how creepy you can be when you are in the mood. Was scaring Leo absolutely necessary for your plan?”

I raise an eyebrow and allow all emotion to drain from my face “Of course it was. How else was I supposed to ensure that he would set everything on fire?” Malcolm starts choking, and I gift him with a small smile. It is not often that people understand my humor. I walk away, talking Will’s hand.

He asks “What did you say to Malcolm? He looks like he is dying over there.”

I shrug “I think he understood one of my jokes.”

Will inquires “The not funny, dark humor ones?”

I reply “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

 


	19. Chapter 19

I wake up and realize that it is three days from Christmas. I also realize that I haven’t done any Christmas shopping. It is unfortunately a necessary social custom. I will buy presents for Jacob, Will, and Hazel. Who else deserves the time of shopping? I’m going to Percy and Annabeth’s house for a party, so I should probably bring them some sort of homey gift. Also, I’ll get Reyna a present. But that will be different. I could get Frank and Jason and Piper something, also Leo, but then again, I’m not really the shopping type of person.

I go over to the lock black box in the corner of the room. It sits inconspicuously on the shelf, but it is full of gold. Hazel refills it every time she visits, even though I tell her not to do so. She also gets annoyed when I don’t spend it, so I buy an extravagant gift for her every year. Jacob comes up behind me and asks “Is that real gold?”

I nod “It’s a gift from my sister.”

“What are you doing with it?”

I make a wry face “Going shopping. Christmas is in three days.”

Jacob looks excited. Everything seems to excite this child. “Can I come?”

How can I say no? “Sure, Jacob. Let’s go shopping.”

I’d like to say we went to a fancy store that caters to half-bloods like me, but really, we just went to Walmart then hit up the mall.

At Walmart, I bought a water gun for Leo. It has a flame painted on the side, so he’ll probably turn it into a flame thrower and present it back to me next year. I also bought a few clothes for Jacob. The camp store really doesn’t have that many. After a while poking about Walmart, we headed to the mall.

In the mall, I glance at a mythomagic display, and see the most ridiculous version of Poseidon ever. That’s Percy’s gift, then. I see a puzzle that claims to impossible. Check, Annabeth. I give Jacob 20 bucks and tell him to go buy me a slice of pizza and whatever he wants. I duck into a costume store and pick up a dull black cloak. Then I see a scary dog mask, and can’t resist adding that to the cart. The cloak will help Jacob learn shadow travel and invisibility. The dog mask is for my amusement when he steps out of the shadows in front of someone. I grin and meet Jacob at the table, stowing my purchases under the table, out of sight. I ask Jacob “Anything you want to buy yet?”

Jacob frowns and sticks a chicken tender in his mouth. “I don’t know. What would Connor like? I already got Jose fuzzy slippers. But I don’t know what older kids like. And I want to get something for my mom’s kitchen. I am much happier here, but I miss her. When am I going home?”

I fight the urge to hug him. “I think your home will be happier soon. Let’s go to the cooking store, and find something happy for the kitchen. I’ll think about what Connor would like.”

We finish our pizza and head off, buying cookie cutters for Jacob’s mom and some hilarious kitchen towels for a house gift for Percy and Annabeth. I also grab an old-fashioned tea ball thing for Calypso. She complains about how the camp tea is wrong all the time. We pay, and I think about what Connor might want. I also have to buy gifts for Hazel and Reyna. And Hazel will be annoyed if I don’t get something for Frank. I buy him one of those pens that zap you when you try to write with them. I know he’ll fall for it.

Reyna and Hazel are hard. And Connor. I turn to Jacob and ask “What does Connor like?”

Jacob replies “Cool things, you know. Like cards and magic tricks and practical jokes.”

I think for a minute, then go looking for one of those trick decks that magicians use. I toss it to Jacob “Would he like this?”

Jacob reads the label then smiles “Perfect. You’re so smart, Nico.” He gives me a hug. I roll my eyes but hug him back.

I ask “What do you think I should get Reyna?”

Jacob replies quickly “Something sharp. Reyna likes weapons.”

I shake my head “Well, we’re not going to find that at the mall, but I do know a place. Reyna has been meaning to take up archery for a while.” We pass by another clothes store, which is boring, but something in the back catches my eye. Vintage gowns. The style is old, and the dresses reach the floor. They are something I would have admired as a child, beautiful and elegant. If I admired them, Hazel would have really wanted one. She grew up poor, unlike me and Bianca. I inspect the gowns, seeing if any would match her and are the right size. I always buy the right size for people. In the back, a deep velvet gown catches my eye, with silver designs. I picture the gown on her. Yes, the color will set off her hair, and the silver will draw out her eyes. It will make her look warm and beautiful. I buy the gown, even though the hem will be two inches long and the sleeves will be half an inch short. She can hem it, and the sleeves are close enough. It doesn’t have to be up to society standards, just Hazel’s. Gifts all bought except Reyna’s, we stop at camp to drop off the stuff. Then I tell Jacob “I’m going to the store to pick up Reyna’s gift. I want you to stay here and play, alright.”

Jacob pouts “Why? I’m having fun shopping with you. Mom never lets me spend that much.”

I reply “It’s going to be dangerous.” I curse inwardly as his eyes light up.

“Please Nico. I’ll be good for a whole week. Pretty please?”

I look at him and sigh. I can’t seem to deny my brother anything, no matter how bad for him. “Fine, let’s go. If things go bad, hide from everyone but me. If I don’t show up, shadow travel back here.”

Jacob frowns “But I don’t know how to shadow travel.”

I think then say “Call Obsidian and he’ll bring you. Don’t forget to hide him too, though. Let’s go. Have your knives ready.”

With that, we shadow travel into the most monster infested street of New York, a haven for many creatures. A hero would call this place evil and burn it to the ground. I like it quite well. Dangerous creatures prowl the streets, and mortals do not long survive in here. Tall buildings, owned and operated by creatures more or less than human control the trade and offer rooms to monsters, demi-gods or any other that will give them coin. I really shouldn’t have brought Jacob.

Obeying the local laws, I step from the shadows at the official shadow spot. If you appear anywhere else, there is a good chance something will tear you apart for surprising them. Perhaps if a mortal walked through here, they would see large dogs and gangs walking around with guns. The street is even called Misty lane. But even the mist couldn’t hide the deadly atmosphere that makes the hair on the back of my head stand up and excitement sing through my blood. But this time, I have to avoid getting into a fight. It wouldn’t be safe for Jacob. I snort, realizing the impossibility of that. I really, really shouldn’t have let him come.

We start down the street, monsters giving us suspicious looks as they smell-half blood. Half a second later, they smell the underground flair to the scent and back away. I’ve earned quite the reputation, and no monster lightly crosses stygian iron. Fortunately, we have only a few blocks to travel. We are heading to one of the best weapons stores one the east coast. The shop is owned by a werewolf and his assistant, a half-blood son of Enyo. I push open the door and the little shop bell tinkles. The werewolf, who appears a very attractive man is his early 20’s greets me “Nico the angel, it has been far too long since you have graced my shop.”

I return the greeting “And still you are the only one to say I am an angel. It has been a while, Helix. I will try to visit more often, since you have missed me so.”

He grins at my statement “And what graces us with your presence today, master Nico?”

I make a face “Christmas shopping.” Jacob is looking at all of the sharp and shiny weapons. Helix glances at him, so I introduce them “This is my brother Jacob.”

Helix comes around the counter and kneels down on Jacob’s level. He asks “May I see those bronze knives of yours? They have a most strange aura.” Jacob glances at me. I nod reassuringly and go off to look at the bows. Helix reads the inscriptions and I can almost hear his eyebrows go up. “Doom and gloom indeed.” After a pause he says “These belonged to cursed prince Falon, of the Gaul barbarians. He was your brother, alive just before the time of Caesar. He was an assassin, one of the best ever in Rome, with no mercy in him. He had a strict code, and was something a dark folk hero. He loved poisons dearly, but these knives took the lives of many high-ranking romans.” I am watching Helix. Helix smiles at Jacob, whose eyes are wide. “He was good, for a child of death. He never took contracts for women or children. They said he could walk across a street, unseen in broad daylight. I only met him once, but his work was something to be admired.” Helix returns the knives to Jacob “Wear these with pride. They have a magic of their own. They will never dull, nor break when wielded in the shadow. But they will be useless for one minute each day, at high noon. Such is their nature. Wear these blades well, son of Hades.” Helix pats Jacob on the shoulder and stands up, returning behind the counter.

I smile softly to myself. Helix is a werewolf, one of the original sons of Lycaon. He is one of the deadliest creatures on the planet and an acknowledged expert on weapons. If you want it, Helix can find it for you. He is also unstable around the full moon, and loves to tear anything to shreds in order to bathe in fresh blood. The struggle between man and beast is constant, and he loves blood in both forms. But he has a soft spot for children.

I spot a shining silver bow on the wall and carefully pull on a pair of gloves before I touch it. I look at Helix. He comments “That belonged to one of the hunters, as I see you know it will curse any not a virgin who touches it without permission. For some reason, no one around here wants to buy it. I would just burn it, but that might piss off the goddess enough for me to be the subject of her next hunt.”

I shake my head “I’ll take it off your hands. But I need a bow I can give to my friend. She’s a Roman.”

Helix looks at me “Really? I thought Greeks hated Romans.”

I shake my head “We all think we’re friends, after that war with mother earth.”

“Well, that’s interesting. But you already knew of the Romans.”

I show my amusement “You’re fishing again. I walk many paths, and that is all I’ll say. What do you have that a Roman would love.”

Helix scratches his chin with one long fingernail “What is her preferred mount?”

I reply “Pegasus.”

“She must be high ranking, then. What’s her patron?”

Because I know it will throw him, I reply “Athena.”

“Minerva?”

I counter “No, Athena. She bears her cloak.”

Helix hums to himself then looks at me suspiciously “Is she your girlfriend? She sounds like a strong woman.”

Jacob jumps in “No, but I thought so to. Nico is dating a son of Apollo.”

Helix looks amused “Is he now? I thought that might be so.”

I roll my eyes and pick up a quiver of arrows. They are well made, with wooden shafts and different metal heads, including stygian iron, which is extremely rare. I ask “Who made these?”

“My assistant. For a mortal, he is very talented.”

I hear a mutter from the back as Daro comes in through the door. “I heard that, Helix.” He stops and says “Nico. Delighted to see you again.” He isn’t delighted, but I know he likes me enough not to stab me in the back. Children of war gods are tricky in some ways and straightforward in others. And he is a son of Enyo, one of the more complicated war goddesses.

I reply “You as well, Daro. These arrows are exceptional. I have not seen stygian iron mounted to arrowheads outside my father’s realm.”

Daro nods “It is a challenge to obtain and work with, but people will pay much for it.”

I ask “What bow were these made for?”

Daro exchanges a look with Helix, who nods encouragingly. He responds “It is in back. I have not yet put the last touches on it. I couldn’t decide between gold or bronze.”

I follow him into the back of the shop reminding Jacob “No touching anything.”

As soon as I step into the dark room, my senses tingle. I spin and knock away the blade coming for my throat. My sword out, I react when I see a glimmer and knock the other blade away, stepping in and trapping Daro in a wrist lock. I hear him sigh, then he reaches out and flips on the light. I have his wrist in a lock and my sword in my left hand, inches from his throat. I release him and he complains “I could have sworn you weren’t expecting an attack.”

I laugh softly “I wasn’t. I was worried about my brother knocking down the sword tower Helix made in the front window.”

Daro scowls “How do you always beat me, then? You’re still what, only 17?”

I roll my eyes and reply “Just show me the bow. I’ve gotten used to surprise attacks.” Daro walks over to a table and tosses me the bow. I inspect it closely. It appears to be mostly carbon fiber, but there is a layer of something else, something that was once living. I ask “Bone?”

Daro raises an eyebrow “Should have known you’d pick up on that. Yeah, there’s bone in it. My secret. So, what do you think? Gold or bronze.”

I reply “If you use Imperial gold, I’ll buy it from you along with those arrows.”

He frowns “But you’re Greek. You’re not supposed to know about imperial gold.”

I shrug “It’s for a roman. The camps are mixing now, after the whole evil earth thing last year.”

Daro shrugs “Oh, cool. Well, us keeper of misty street kept our head down during that. Didn’t want to be blown up in the carnage or locked away again. It’ll just take me a few minutes to put the finish on this. You can settle with Helix up front.”

I turn and head for the door, sidestepping the knife he throws at my back. I comment “I was expecting it that time.” I slam the door behind me as another knife comes flying.

Helix is explaining to my brother the merits of knives over swords, and spears against pilums. I wait and Helix finishes “But I believe that your brother has decided to buy something.”

I respond “Yes, I’ll take the hunter’s bow, the arrows and the one Daro is finishing.”

Helix nods “Cash or Drachma?”

I check my wallet “I have more cash on me right now. Is there a surcharge?”

Helix grins “Not for you. The dollar is strong right now, and the drachma is not, so cash is better. It will be $257.”

I ask “How much did you charge for the silver?” The total seems low.

Helix raises an eyebrow “Why do you ask?”

I look into his eyes and back down “Never mind.” I also don’t comment when he tucks an amulet in with the bow, an amulet that obviously belonged to a hunter. I glance out the window and see how low the sun is getting. Carefully handling the bow, I place everything in my bag. It is meant for skis, but it holds archery equipment just fine. I borrowed it from the big house.

Jacob and I start down the street. We only make it a block before a trio of cyclops attack. I sigh, drop my bag and put a shadow spell on, then draw my sword. Jacob shimmers then vanishes, and the Cyclops charge me. I spin and slice, cutting the hamstrings of the first and slash open the belly of the second. The third swings a club at my head. I dance to the side, and watch the cyclops fall with a glowing bronze knife in his back. He vanishes, the knife clattering to the ground. The first one hobbles back towards me, and I trip him then slice his throat when he’s in reach. Jacob appears, looking sick and frightened. “I killed a monster.”

I feel for him, but we need to get out of here. “Pick up your knife, let’s go.” I scoop up the bag and leave the glowing sigil of a black sword, the symbol of the ghost king, above the bodies. It will discourage those who mean me harm in the future, and send any wishing vengeance after the right half-blood. More likely, they won’t bother. My reputation is starting to grow.  I nod to the shades as we hurry down the street. Once we reach the platform, I immediately shadow travel to the Hades cabin. Chiron I glance out the window and see Chiron standing outside. I wince and open the front door.

“Nico, where have you been all day? Is that blood on you? Where’s Jacob?”

I roll my eyes “Shopping, yes, right behind me. Some monsters wanted our new shopping acquisitions.”

He eyes me dubiously “You missed lunch.”

I reply “We had pizza at the mall.”

“You know you are supposed to ask permission before you leave camp.”

So you can deny it? But I reply “I forgot. I’ll try to do that next time.” I said the same thing the previous three times he tried to get me to say so. He is only trying this time because I took Jacob with me. I smile “Have a good day, Chiron.” And I slam the door in his face. It is quite satisfying.


	20. Chapter 20

Later that night, after Jacob is asleep, I put on leather gloves and pick up the silver bow and amulet. I walk in the shadows to the Artemis cabin, quietly pushing open the door. I wait for the goddess to strike me down, but she doesn’t. I carefully place the bow and amulet on the altar and kneel and say a prayer for the hunter that was lost. I add my blessing for a quick trip to Elysium.

I am about to leave, but the air shimmers and a young girl steps forth. I bow my head “Lady Artemis.” I hate her for taking my sister, and she hates me for being a man.

She settles on the floor in front of her altar “Nico di Angelo. How kind of you to visit me. Perhaps you are more like your sister than I thought.”

I try not to grit my teeth “It is in memory of my sister that I am here at all. What do you want of me, Lady?” That’s pretty close to telling the goddess to get lost.

She studies me thoughtfully “It is a terrible shame when children are kept from their parents.”

I forgot she was patron of young children. I reply “I’m bringing Jacob home on Christmas, once he meets my friends.”

She raises an eyebrow “You are? Good. Perhaps my old friend wasn’t wrong about you after all. Now Nico, you know I don’t permit males in my cabin.”

I try not to roll my eyes, as I wonder who her old friend is. It is scary when the gods are speculating about me. I reply “I’ll remove my offending male self from your cabin immediately, your Ladyship.”

She arches a brow “No, don’t bother yourself.” She raises a hand and I grit my teeth for pain. I land sprawled outside the cabin. She was gentle, for her. I stand and glide away in the shadows. My dreams are filled with memories of my dead sister, Bianca.

The next morning, Will wakes me with a kiss. I return the kiss before I am fully awake, then ask “What’s the occasion?”

“Do I need an occasion to kiss you?” Will is smiling and fluttering his eye lashes.

I smile, my real smile that people rarely see. “Never. But people run from waking me up, with good reason.”

Will rolls his eyes “Nico, its nearly noon. You’ve almost missed lunch. What were you doing last night?”

I roll my eyes “Annoying goddesses again.” Will knows from my expression that I won’t say more.

He instead demands “So tell me about this party you are bringing me to.”

I reply “It’s at Percy and Annabeth’s new apartment in New Rome. They’ve invited the seven, Reyna and me, and probably a few extra people. The party is the night before and morning of. We can crash there overnight, if that’s okay with you.”

Will asks “Will I be sleeping with you?”

I flirt “If you like, I suppose that could be arranged.” Will laughs and kisses me again. It might have gone further if Jacob hadn’t knocked on the open door. I didn’t even notice him approach.

Will jumps and Jacob comments “So you really are dating. Are you awake Nico?”

I growl “Go away.” Jacob darts out the door, laughing. I scowl and get out of bed. Will is laughing at me too, darn him. I glare at him, but it does no good.

After I eat, Sherman drags me off to the practice court for another lesson. I don’t know why he keeps coming back, I am quite harsh with him. I stop in horror as I see that he has brought the rest of his cabin mates with him. I declare “No, I’m not giving a lesson to the entire Ares cabin. Why don’t you just all go hack at each other?”

Sherman rolls his eyes. He seems to think I won’t chop his head off if he annoys me. “Nico, I tried to help them, but you are so much better at teaching than I am.”

I scowl. “Compliments will not help your cause, foolish violent child.”

Sherman grins “Let’s get him, go Ares!”

They charge at me, in full armor and sharp pointy weapons. I have nothing but my leather jacket and my sword. Well, except for the knives tucked away inside the jacket. I decide it is lesson time. I don’t draw my sword, instead ducking under the first kid and throwing him at his buddy behind me. They go down in a heap, hacking at each other. I watch them, disgusted. Ares fighting has gone down since Clarisse left. She had behavior issues, but she could fight. I sidestep the axe strike and use the over swing to spin the kid around and hit Sherman behind him. Sherman reacts and hit the kid on the head with his pommel. I sigh and step away and grab the wrist of the girl behind me, judo-flipping her to the ground, Annabeth style. I sigh and stand in the middle of the training ring with my hands on my hips.

I hear applause and see Will, Jacob, Jose and Connor watching. In the mood, I bow to them, a fancy old-fashioned gesture that happens to occur at the same time Sherman tries to take my head off from behind. I kick behind me, making solid contact, and spin, drawing my sword. Sherman goes for the overhand swing. Have I taught him nothing? I side step and jab with the point, keeping my weight perfectly balanced and drawing him out. He takes the bait, just like the many other times I have done this. Annoyed with him, I let the beginnings of my anger flow down the sword, beating him squarely into the ground. When he submits, I snap “Get up. Now!”

I let the rage burn in my eyes, my frustration with him not seeing the true importance of what he is learning. At every strike he tries to block, I comment on what he is doing wrong. I goad him on, while telling him not to be angry. Not to let the anger cloud his judgement. Finally, he snaps, but this time is different. It isn’t the lukewarm anger that I usually have to deal with from him, the emotion that impedes his judgement. It is the hot raging fury that Clarisse fights with. His strokes become stronger, his stance more balanced. And he finally stops overextending himself. That is how children of the war god are supposed to fight, with single-minded hot rage and laser focus on the target, winning.

I feel my smile stretch as he unleashes his anger and frustration on me. The tempo speeds up, until I am not seeing but intuiting where his blade will be. Everyone stays out of our way. The instruction I have been giving him finally clicks into place, as all of the tiny errors in his stance filter away. It is a well-matched fight, and I feel the blood rush through my veins. Finally, I disarm him and put my sword to his throat. I know a smile stretches across my face. Sherman meets my eyes, and matches the smile. I take the blade away and pull him to his feet. I hold his eyes for a second, then nod. I say “Keep practicing, but you’ve got the hang of it now.” I switch my smile to polite “Have a nice day.” I place the sword back in the scabbard and start to walk away.

Sherman asks “Why?”

I turn back and frown “Why what?”

Sherman asks “How did you know? What was that?”

I smile. He is still so confused. I reply “You used the rage, instead of anger driving you. Do that at will, instead of when I push you to it, and you’ll rarely lose with stakes on the line.”

Sherman protests “But that isn’t how you fight.”

I shake my head with a wistful smile on my face “I’m not you, Sherman. But you now fight nearly as well as I do.” I nod my head “Have a nice day.” Fortunately, his siblings ambush him before he can try to ask any more questions. I walk off the field.

Will runs over to me “Are you okay?”

I ask “Why?”

Connor stands off to the side “Nico, what did you do?”

I ask “What?”

Connor replies “How do you even move a sword that fast? How did both you and Sherman walk away from that?”

I shrug my shoulders, a loose careless motion. “I trained him, now, didn’t I?”

Connor comments “You were evenly matched when Sherman started. How did you beat him?”

I smile wolfishly, sick of the questions. Connor steps back. I answer in a mocking sweet tone “It’s a trade secret. I’d love to tell you, but then I’d have to kill you and destroy your soul.”

Will ducks down to hide his smile. It’s what I love about him. Connor flinches and goes “Uh, I’ll see you later, Nico.”

I let him walk off, but keep my eyes on his back just long enough for him to feel uncomfortable. Will is silently laughing. “Nico, you really shouldn’t do that to people. They truly believe you are going to kill them. And the destroy his soul was probably too much.”

I allow a bit of humor to filter onto my face. “You think? I thought it was a nice touch. I like to go all out for Connor.”

Will sobers up “Seriously though, are you okay?”

I complain “I’m fine, leather jackets are nearly as good as cluncky armor anyway.”

Will wonders “Is that why you wear leather all the time? You constantly expect attack?”

I nod “Well, yeah. Also, whenever I don’t where it, some god or demon, and I don’t necessarily differentiate between the two, whisks me off to somewhere cold. Now, that isn’t fun.”

Will starts laughing again and we hold hands and walk to the big house, with the nice warm hearth. It is a cold day, and the sky is just beginning to let fall a few white flakes. I do so love the snow.


	21. Chapter 21

Jacob and I are ready and packed by noon, but the rest seem to take forever. It is Christmas eve, and long past time to go to Percy’s party. Well, only about ten minutes past. But I still wish they’d hurry up. Why does it take Will and Leo so much time to pack? Calypso finished ages ago. I stand in a shadow, arms crossed.

Calypso comes back from getting coffee and question “Nico, why do you look like you want to kill someone?”

Jacob, who is playing with his dog nearby responds “He always looks like that, Calypso.”

I scowl at them “We’re late.”

Leo comes up behind me “There’s no such thing as being late for a party.”

Calypso interrogates him “Did you bring a toothbrush?” Leo starts nodding. Calypso continues “Toothpaste? Extra clothes? Pajamas?” Leo looks like a bobble head. Calypso asks “The presents we bought for others?” Leo makes a sound and runs back to his cabin. Calypso sighs and shakes her head “Men. They are so terrible.” She pats my shoulder, and I conquer the urge to toss her into a nearby tree. “Not you Nico, you are adorable.”

I simply meet her eyes, silently reminding her that although she may have been a titan, she is mortal now, and if I toss her into the tree it will hurt. She just smiles “So adorable.” I decide not to try to scare her further. I do like her, and she is the only one that can control Leo.

Will comes over, lugging a suitcase. It looks like he packed for a week, not two days. I raise an eyebrow, and Will responds “Ready.”

I nod “Excellent, we are all ready to leave then.” Jacob comes running over. I say “Everyone hold hands and grab a bag.”

Calypso frowns, it is a very pretty frown. “But wait, what about Leo?”

I look confused “Leo? Who are you talking about?”

Calypso looks surprised, then shocked, then suspicious. Will and Jacob burst out laughing. I glare at them “I can’t take you two anywhere, can I?”

Calypso smacks me. It is supposed to be friendly, but is a little harder than necessary. “Nico, that’s not nice.”

I am saved from explaining that I am not nice by Leo’s return. Leo grabs on, and seeing that we are all connected and the bags all held onto, I pull us into the shadow. It takes more effort, moving this many people, but the bags actually don’t make it harder. They aren’t living creatures, who must be held together or be destroyed. The more inner strength a person has, the harder for the shadows to tear them apart. But children of hades have a natural immunity, and the ability to control the shadows. Some say the shadows are like the mist, but I know they are two very different things. With a breath of relief, I bring us out into the bright light of Percy’s apartment. Of course, Leo staggers and falls into the Christmas tree. I sigh.

Percy bursts into the room “Stripy, if you tried to climb the tree again…Oh hi Nico.”

I greet “Good afternoon, Percy.”

He still gets awkward around me sometimes, but fortunately the tree starts falling. Percy yells “Leo! You’re here for literally two seconds.” The tree crashes down on top of Leo, and the whole room starts laughing.

Annabeth comes in, asking “What’s all the noise? Did the cat climb the tree… Nico, Will, Calypso, welcome.” There is only the slightest of pauses when she greets Calypso. She asks “I assume Leo is under the tree?”

Jacob replies “Yep.” Percy is trying to help Leo get out from under the tree. I hear the tinkling of a glass ornament being broken.

Annabeth turns to Jacob “And you must be Jacob. I have heard so much about you from Reyna. My name is Annabeth. I am another of Nico’s friends.”

Jacob smiles “You’re the one that Nico copied the Judo flips from. Cool, I’m delighted to meet you.” Annabeth glances at me. I keep my face completely blank except for a crinkle in the corner of my eye. Jacob asks “Shouldn’t we help Leo?”

Annabeth and I exchange glances. We declare “No.”

Annabeth invites “Why don’t you come this way and try some of the cookies? I baked them yesterday. We follow her. Jacob’s dog appears in front of us. Jacob grins and runs up to the dog. Annabeth draws her scary bone sword.

Softly I murmur “Relax, that is Jacob’s dog. He would be unhappy if you cut off his head.” Annabeth slowly puts her sword away, the scabbard vanishing when she does so.

Jacob turns around “This is Obsidian, my dog, but we just call him Sid.”

Annabeth glares at me “How did Jacob get a hellhound as a pet?”

I roll my eyes. She met the boy a minute ago, and is already getting protective. I sigh and reply “I brought Obsidian home from the farthest reaches of my father’s realm in order to destroy all of the annoying people in camp half blood.”

Annabeth looks at me, gauging how serious I am. “I bet Chiron wasn’t pleased.”

I shrug “Well, Chiron hates me. Didn’t make a difference.”

Annabeth asks “Why?”

I reply “Not sure, but probably because I’m not a proper hero. Or a hero at all.”

Will interrupts, cookie in hand “I don’t know why you keep saying that, Nico. You’re a hero to me.”

I smile and steal his cookie. “Of course I am.”

“Hey, that was my cookie!” I take a bite of the cookie. Will glares at me, but I only smile. Annabeth laughs at us, and goes to give Percy a hand getting the tree off Leo.

There is a knock on the door. Jacob opens the door. “Reyna!” He flies at her and gives her a hug.

Reyna smiles. “How are you, Jacob? Where’s Sid?” The hound barks at her. “Hey Sid.” She scratches him behind the ears, fully accustomed to the glowing red eyes.

Jacob asks “How was being Praetor and all? Is it fun?”

Reyna makes a face “Not at all, Jacob. Trust me, don’t ever try to be the Praetor. It sucks.”

They walk into the party but I linger behind. Will joins me “Nico, are you going to be okay?”

I question “Fine. Why do you ask?” My bland face doesn’t fool him though.

Will hesitates then begins “I know you hate being around people. Will you be okay here? I can watch Jacob if you need to escape.”

I reply “I’ll be fine. This party is all of my closest friends at family.”

Will counters “That’s why I’m worried.”

I scowl “I won’t kill anyone, really.”

Will throws up his hands “That’s not why I’m worried, damn it Nico.”

Oh. He was concerned about me, not about the damage I would inflict. I catch his hands and kiss him softly on the lips. “I’ll be fine, Will. Really.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see Percy staring at us in shock. I feel a tiny smile spread across my face.

Will whispers “Who’s watching?” He always picks up on my body language cues.

I reply softly “Percy seems shocked by how we are carrying on.” I see mischief in Will’s eyes as he pulls me in for another kiss.

Will mutters “Didn’t you used to have a crush on Percy?”

I reply “A while ago, before I met you. But he’d never stray from Annabeth.” We stop when the doorbell rings again. I open the door, surprised that I feel comfortable doing so in someone else’s house. It is Frank and Hazel. I smile “Hazel, it’s been forever since I saw you.” We hug. I mutter “Hi Frank.” Then I return my attention to Hazel, ignoring Frank. “Come, on, Reyna is already here and the cookies are delicious.” I pull her off, leaving Will and Frank behind me.

I hear Frank complain “Why does he still not like me?”

Will claps him on the shoulder “He likes you well enough, but he also enjoys annoying those around him. It is a warning to be nice to Hazel if I read it right.”

Frank complains “I already know he’d cut my head off, why does he have to ignore me too?”

They follow us to the cookies. Will asks “Aren’t you Praetor as well?” Frank nods. Will answers “Well, that’s why.”

Frank goes “Huh? That doesn’t make sense.”

Hazel starts laughing at Frank and tells me “Nico, you should be nicer to him.”

I ask “Why?”

Hazel replies “It bothers him that you don’t like him.”

I shake my head “No, I adore Frank, the same way I think Leo is wonderful.”

Hazel frowns “That’s not exactly reassuring, Nico. I’ve heard you threaten to kill Leo many times.”

I smile at her “I know.”

She laughs again and gives me a hug “I missed you, Nico.”

I tell her “I missed you as well. How is the legion treating you?”

She grins “I got promoted again.”

I begin to say “That’s wonder…” But I hear the sound of a sword being drawn. I see Frank charging for Obsidian, who just chased Jacob into the room. Jacob steps in front of Frank, delaying him enough for me to draw my sword, and send Frank’s blade flying into the rug. I point my sword at his chest, aiming for a light-hearted tone. “Frank, if you killed my brother’s hound I would be very displeased with you.”

He stops, staring at the sword. Once I am sure my words have penetrated into his thick skull, I put the sword away. Frank asks “How did you do that?”

I sigh and extort “Promise you won’t kill the hellhound?”

Frank replies “Sure. How did you disarm me so quickly? You were never that good when you fought here.”

I sigh and walk away. Reyna, who came to the doorway, answers “Nico imitates sword styles, especially when he is a Greek pretending to be a Roman.”

Frank asks “Then what the hell was that?”

I answer from across the room “My style.” I ignore them as they discuss how I fight with a sword. I grab Jacob by the hand and bring him over to Hazel. “Jacob, this is your sister Hazel. She is Roman, and the one who decorated the cabin.”

Jacob gives her a hug “Yeah! I have a sister too. I love the cabin, it is so pretty, bright and cheerful.”

I comment dryly “That’s supposed to be a secret. I told Percy that it was decorated with skulls like the catacombs under Paris.”

Hazel asks “And he believed you?”

“Of course.” I tilt my head. “I’ll let you two get acquainted, and see if Leo has gotten out from under the tree yet.”

I walk off, hearing Hazel ask “What happened to Leo?” Jacob fills her in. He has a wonderful knack for storytelling. I enter the other room, seeing Leo lying on the floor. Calypso is leaning over, tending to a few tiny cuts on his arm. I suspect he is being dramatic. Annabeth and Percy are picking up the tree.

Annabeth asks “What happened? I heard swords.”

I reply “Oh, Frank got scared by Obsidian, so I had to disarm him.”

Percy asks “Is Frank okay?”

I reply “Of course. Everyone’s fine. The cookies are delicious, by the way. Who made them?”

Annabeth smiles “That would be me. Baking is like a science.”

I glance at Leo “I trust Leo didn’t cause too much damage to the tree?”

Calypso mutters “The tree is damaged; Leo is just fine. His head is too thick for it to be otherwise.”

Leo sits up “Hey, at least I didn’t set it on fire. I had to work really hard not to do that.”

Percy grins “But if you’d done that, I’d have had to douse you with sea water.”

Annabeth orders “Stop, no more damage to my apartment.”

Percy complains “It’s mine too.”

Will comes up behind me, and massages my shoulders. He comments “It is going to be an interesting party.”

I would agree with him wholeheartedly. If I had a heart, that is.


	22. Chapter 22

As the party goes on, my conscience starts to bug me. I hate when that happens. Christmas is a time for family, and I feel I should bring Jacob home. But I have reservations. I don’t know if they are genuine or just me being selfish. If it were only me concerned, I would be selfish. But I have to make a choice for Jacob. What is best for him. And I think a young boy needs his mother. Older siblings are wonderful, but none can truly replace a parent.

I sigh and gather up all the presents marked for Jacob. It looks like Reyna and Will both got him gifts, as did Hazel. I smile, amazed at how nice my sister is. I walk up to Jacob, who is playing in the corner with Obsidian. I say “Jacob, come here. It’s time to go home.”

Jacob complains “It’s only 8 o’clock.”

I say “Come on.” He takes my hand, and I bring us through the shadow to his front porch.

Jacob looks around, shocked. I realize he thought we were going back to camp. I ring the doorbell. “Oh, this home.” I hear footsteps and put down Jacob’s presents, sliding backward into the shadow.

The door opens. “Jacob!” His mother wraps him in a hug. “How did you get here?”

Jacob looks around “Nico brought me. He was here a second ago. Did you know I had a brother, mama? And a sister too? And this is my new dog, Sid.” Thank the gods for the mist.

She hugs him again “No, I didn’t know until recently.”

Jacob adds “And Nico says my dad is a god. Isn’t that cool? Where did Nico go?” Jacob turns to look at the shadows, trying to catch my shape.

His mom says “Nico is gone. He fades into the shadow, like his father did before him.” Her voice carries bitterness.

Jacob counters “No mom, Nico will be back. He is a really good brother.” I set Jacob’s care and love against his mother’s disapproval. Jacob is still very young. He will be safe and cared for, now that the curse is lifted. He can enjoy the rest of his childhood, as much as is possible for any young demi-god.

I watch as Jacob enters the house after his mom, lights flipping on and the sound of laughter and rejoicing floating through the air. I hesitate, memories I thought I had forgotten surging forward in flickers. Family, yes, family is supposed to be the center. I again mourn for my mother and sister, but set the sadness against the family I have made for myself. I head back to the party.

Will, as always is the first to care. “Nico, where did you go?”

I smile “I brought Jacob home. Christmas is a time for family, is it not?”

Will squeezes my hand “Yes, it is. I think you made the right choice.”

I nod “I know I did. Come, let’s enjoy the party.”

We talk and laugh and dance long into the night. It is truly a fun party. Reyna, pleading exhaustion, leaves early. We all plain to meet again in the morning to open presents. Hazel and Frank invite Leo and Calypso over to stay for the night. Hazel gives me a look, like she is worried about me, but I give her a hint of a smile and she goes. Will and I will stay in the guest room at Percy and Annabeth’s apartment. They do have quite a big apartment, being held in high esteem by most of the roman legion comes with some perks.

 I am up early the next morning, a rarity for me. But I don’t usually sleep well in unfamiliar places. I’ve spent far too much time expecting an attack at any minute to sleep easily outside my cabin. And in Rome, well, there’s more than enough people who would love to see the Ambassador of Pluto dead. I smile at the irony. I hear a noise behind me. Recognizing the footfall, I don’t turn. “Nico. You’re up early.”

It’s Percy. I reply softly, without turning “Couldn’t sleep.”

Percy nods “I know what you mean.” He doesn’t, not really, but it is nice of him to say so. After an awkward pause, he asks “Do you want to go practice?”

“I don’t want to wake the others.”

Percy shakes his head “We won’t, Hazel magicked the practice field so I wouldn’t wake Annabeth.”

I stand up “Sure.” I follow Percy outside, to the grass behind his apartment. He is right, I can sense magic. I suspect it keeps the sound in so it doesn’t wake his neighbors, not just Annabeth. It is cold and there is snow on the ground, but that doesn’t really matter to us.

Percy declares “A quick warm-up, then we’ll try a practice bout.” I nod.

Fighting Percy is different. I put a lot of energy into imitating his style a few years ago, and I’m trying to avoid using the moves I copied from him. I stay away from my own style too, mostly fighting like Jason and Reyna.

We take a break after Percy scores a point. He asks “Why does it feel like I’m fighting a Roman? Nico, I thought you fought more like a Greek.”

I shrug “I was fighting like a Roman. I like to change styles once in a while.”

Percy gapes at me “Change styles? Nico, that’s nearly impossible.”

I frown “No, it’s not.”

Percy tries to cross his arms, but he’s still holding his sword “Nico, there’s no point in training if you don’t really fight.” I raise an eyebrow, an expression that usually sends chills down someone’s spine. Percy ignores the expression. He is pretty tough. Then he taunts “Afraid I’m going to win? Nico, I thought you were better.”

Damn him. He had to engage my competitive side. I raise my sword and stalk him, the challenge just enough to spark my annoyance and send me into my real fighting mode. We are using real swords, but we are no longer being careful about it. Percy fights with the big sweeping strokes that made his blade famous. I just simply am not there when he tries to hit me. I’m always behind him, on the wrong side, or inside his guard. He knows I am still not fighting fully, and I see anger ignite in his eyes. We pause, in the middle of an intricate dance. I smile a challenge, and he accepts, leaping at me with his sword. I counter in a mirror of his own style, and I watch as his blade falters. He regroups quickly, but not before I could have killed him in a real fight. I slide smoothly from his style to my own. It isn’t the shadow fighting that I used earlier, but something older. It is hard to say where exactly my style comes from, but I know it is mine. I feel my face stretch into the smile I wear when blood and death are in the air.

Percy strikes at my wrist, something unexpected. I feel pain as his blade cuts a vein on my wrist. My sword goes flying into the air. I roll and pick up the blade with my other hand. I go on the attack, instincts taking over completely, as they always do when I am hurt. I feel the cold smile come over my face. I am soon standing over Percy, with my sword half a centimeter from his throat. He says “Nico. Nico. Please don’t kill me. Nico!”

I try to clear my head. I remember that I’m fighting for fun, not war. I put my sword away and mutter “Sorry.”

Percy gets up cautiously “I didn’t know you fought left handed.”

I shrug and inspect my injured wrist “I train with both hands.” I take a bandage from my jacket pocket and wrap it around my wrist.

Percy looks worried “Nico, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

I brush him off “I’m fine, Percy. This will heal in a fortnight.” I glance up at the apartment. “Don’t tell Will, alright?” I see Annabeth and Will watching from the window. It might be a lost cause anyway.

Percy looks confused “Okay, sure, why?”

I shrug my shoulders and complain “Because he’ll insist on bandaging it and fussing over me and not letting me hit things with my sword.” My complaint breaks the growing tension, and Percy laughs, offering me a hand up. I take it and follow him into the house.

After breakfast, I am just coming around a corner when I hear Annabeth demand “What happened between you and Nico this morning? I haven’t seen you that shaken up in ages.”

Percy shrugs “Nothing happened. We were both up early and wanted to train.”

Annabeth interrogates “Then why were you so shaken up?”

Percy gives in. “He’s terrifying. I mean, the match was going well. He wasn’t really fighting though. He was messing around, testing styles and such. I pushed him, went full out, angry and all, but he didn’t have any trouble keeping up. I tried the disarming technique, and I hurt his wrist. It was the first major injury the whole match. And then he just snapped.”

Percy stops. Annabeth persuades “Go on.”

I can’t stop listening, fascinated. Percy continues “Well, I fought as hard as I could, but it was a matter of seconds before he disarmed me and had me on the ground with a sword at my throat. His eyes were darker than night, and the smile was creepy. I thought I was dead, and it was only a practice match.”

Annabeth questions “You’re saying Nico easily beat you when you pushed him.”

Percy shakes his head. “I’m saying Nico could and would kill any mortal that stirred his rage.”

Annabeth is quiet for a second. Then she asks “Percy, didn’t we already know that?”

That surprises me. But of course Annabeth would understand me better. Percy is often an idiot. Percy replies “Nico is really grown-up though. I have to stop seeing the kid I picked up with a love of mythomagic cards.”

I step out of the shadows. “I haven’t been that for quite some time.” Percy flinches. Annabeth looks amused. I ask her “Are there any of those cookies left from last night? They were really good.”

Annabeth smiles “I’ll put the cookies out when everyone else gets here for presents. Besides, Nico, it’s still early in the morning.” I shrug and walk towards the couch. Nothing wrong with cookies in the morning. I stop around the corner, to listen. After a pause, Annabeth tells Percy “Don’t underestimate Nico, alright Percy? He’s been through more than even we have.”


	23. Chapter 23

Opening presents with all my friends is fun. Hazel and Frank somehow got put in charge of handing out gifts. It was hilarious to see Percy open his gift. He was so confused until he figured out that the strange green and blue dude was supposed to be Poseidon. I made sure not to let my face crack and smile as I told Percy “I thought you would appreciate a token such as that.” That made everyone in the room laugh and smile, which was my intention. Annabeth loved her puzzle, and Calypso was surprised I even got her anything. She hid it well, but I know that expression. It’s been on my face far too many times.

The best moment was when Reyna opened her present. “Nico, where did you even get this?”

I give her a crooked smile “I have my methods.”

Annabeth claps her hands together “Let’s go try out Reyna’s new bow.”

Turns out they have an archery field just down the street. I love New Rome. There are so many sharp weapons and over trained demigods running around the streets. The only problem is that most of them hate me. Reyna strings the bow and looks at the arrows. Then she carefully inspects the bow itself. “Nico, the bow is coated in Imperial gold. Where on earth did you find this?”

I shrug “I have a friend. He makes stuff.”

Annabeth pulls out an arrow “These are incredibly rare arrowheads.” Of course she pulled out one of the stygian iron ones.

I shrug again “There’s a mix in the quiver.”

Reyna scowls at me “Nico, how much did this cost?”

I raise an eyebrow “It’s a gift.” I can be as stubborn as she is. “Give it a try.”

Reyna takes one of the normal arrows and sends it flying. It misses the target. There’s something wrong with her stance. I glance at Frank, who is probably the only one here who is a better archer than me. Frank looks like he wants to say something, then glances at me. I make a gesture with my hand, telling him to go ahead. He corrects Reyna’s stance, and the next arrow hits its target. They pass the bow around, everyone trying it. When frank tries it, he looks at me with surprise “Nico, seriously, where did you get this? I haven’t ever felt a bow that draws like that. Hazel, is there any magic in it?”

Hazel touches the weapon and shakes her head “No more than the Imperial Gold.”

Frank looks at me. I raise an eyebrow. Reyna rolls her eyes “You’re not going to tell, are you?”

I make my face deadly serious. “No. You wouldn’t like the answer.”

Hazel shakes her head “Nico, you are infuriating.”

I make a courtly bow “Why thank you, dear sister.” Hazel laughs, blushing furiously. Everyone seems to accept that I won’t reveal my secrets. At least for now. We head back inside, everyone feeling chilled from the nice cold winter air. We talk about the weather, about life, about everyone’s hopes and dreams. We exchange stories and tell tales. Leo sets the tree on fire by accident. We all laugh and Percy doesn’t dump seawater on the tree, as promised. The smoke alarm goes off, but we just open the windows and take out the battery. It is a fun, normal time and except for the stories that involve magic and monsters, we could be any normal group of teenagers. Well, young adults. No, we definitely don’t qualify as any type of adult.

As I expected, Reyna corners me about the bow later. “Nico, it is very important that I know where this weapon came from.”

I smile eerily “From friends of mine.”

Reyna looks annoyed. She is one of the few people that I have to work really hard to make them shut up and go away. “Nico, that isn’t an answer. I need to know where it came from and any surprises that might have come with it.”

I try looking sincere. I can’t pull of innocent very well anymore. “Reyna, it is from people I trust. They have a very good reputation for weapons construction.” I probably shouldn’t even hint that the shop is run by a werewolf.

Reyna scowls at me. Ouch. “Nico, it is important. Did it come from the underworld?”

I look amused “No, but good try.”

She snaps “Nico! Stop playing your silly games and just tell me.”

Percy and Annabeth glance over. Reyna waves them off. I raise an eyebrow, not fazed in the least. “It’s from one of the Greco-Roman enclaves on the east coast.”

Reyna glares at me “What is that supposed to mean?”

I shrug “There are a number of places where the mist is thick, and various immortals, demigods, and monsters gather. They’re generally dangerous, but many useful things can be purchased. I spent some time there in my darker days.”

Reyna frowns “Are these places approved by the gods?”

I shrug “I am sure my father knows about them. I believe the 12 turn a blind eye. Many minor gods frequent these places, and many Greek demigods not of the 12 would seek education there, because they could not be claimed at camp.”

Reyna looks intrigued “I had heard of such places, but I thought they were just rumor.”

I comment “I know three well, and I know of the existence of a couple more. I would not recommend a visit though. These places are dangerous, especially for demigods.”

Reyna asks “Then why do you go there?”

I reply “I won’t try to kill every monster I see. Anyone accepted as part of the enclave, monster, immortal or human, gains support from the rest. Shopkeepers support each other, but strangers are fair game. If a hero strode in and saw a hellhound, and attacked, and the hellhound was part of the enclave…” I let my sentence trail off.  

Reyna taps her foot “That still doesn’t tell me anything.”

I sigh and divulge some details “The bow was made by a son of Enyo, on Misty Lane in New York.”

Reyna raises her eyebrows “Enyo? I’ve never heard of that god.”

I reply “Greek goddess of war and destruction. I believe she was on Achilles shield.”

Reyna goes “Really? She doesn’t have a cabin?”

I shrug “Not yet. War deities aren’t always inclined to watch over their children. Typically, a child has make it to camp and be claimed before the god will have a cabin built for him or her.”

Reyna finally gives up “Fine, fine, but Nico,”

“Yes Reyna?”

“I want to hear more about these enclaves, see if they can be useful to us.”

I roll my eyes and tell a white lie “I would be delighted to discuss further, but we are at a party and being rude to our hosts.”

Reyna looks annoyed “Fine, Nico. I will track you down though.”

“Of course, Praetor.”

Reyna walks away. Will comes up next to me and asks “What was that about?”

I mutter “Some people can’t accept a gift without asking questions.”

Will asks “Where did you get it? None of my siblings have a weapon like that.”

I glare at him, then smile softly. “I could show you, if you don’t mind the risk of being jumped. There are a few shops that might interest you.”

Sometime later, the party winds up. I take Leo, Calypso, Will and I back to camp. Will and I drop off our stuff, then I take him to Misty Lane. We land, and he looks around. “Nico, I have never seen the Mist so thick.”

I comment “It is called Misty Lane.” Will smiles at me. “Come, there’s a shop I think you would find interesting.” He follows me to the herbalist’s shop. It is a nice little place, run by an older woman, a daughter of Asclepius. She hates me on principle, but considering her father turned me into a plant, I don’t mind too much.

Will loves it, as I thought he would. He looks at all the herbs, carefully labeled in Greek and Latin, and at some concoctions already mixed up. There is everything a healer could want. I hear a voice from the back “Son of Hades, I thought I told you never to return.”

Will looks at me. I try to smile reassuringly. I reply “I’m not touching anything, I promise. My friend wanted a look around.”

The owner comes out from the back, holding a frying pan. “Oh really?” She notices Will. “Son of Apollo, if I’m not mistaken.”

He offers his hand “Delighted to meet you. I have a special interest in healing.”

She nods “Of course. Anything you are looking for in particular?” That starts off a long discussion on medicine and healing, which I don’t really understand. I drift around, trying not to touch anything, but it is hard when I’m bored. After a while, I see Will buying stuff, so I wander back over.

Will thanks the shopkeeper then asks “So where did Reyna’s bow come from? My siblings would love to know.”

I shake my head “I will show you, but please don’t tell them. They’ll only get themselves dead.”

Will freezes “That’s a monster. And that’s not a normal dog.”

I place a hand on his shoulder. “Just keep walking. If you don’t bother them, they probably won’t bother you.”

“But they’re monsters.”

“Do you get why demigods don’t usually walk out of here alive? Because they attack the first monster they see. The monsters have friends, and they’re not hurting anyone right now.”

Will looks shaken “Do they hurt anyone?”

I shrug “If a mortal is stupid enough to wander in, they’re fair game.”

Will looks shocked, then seems to understand the implications “Okay.” He asks “But if attacked, we can defend ourselves.”

I nod “Of course. If the stranger is obviously the one being attacked, no one will interfere.”

Will asks “So it really isn’t safe.”

I shake my head as we walk into Felix’s store “It’s fine. I’ve got something of a rep.”

Will eyes me “That’s not exactly reassuring.” I grin at him.

Felix booms “Nico, great to see you again. Who is your friend?”

I reply courteously “This is my boyfriend, Will. He is a son of Apollo, and was quite curious as to where the awesome bow came from.”

Felix asks “Out of curiosity, who did you give it to?”

I smile “A friend.”

Felix asks Will “Who did he give it to?”

Before I can elbow Will, he replies “Reyna.”

Felix frowns “Reyna? You don’t mean Reyna, the Roman Praetor?” I glare at Will, which Felix sees. “You gave one of my bows to the Praetor?”

Daro comments from the back “It was actually my bow. Just putting it out there. Hello, Nico.”

I wave. Felix paces “You know what this means, right? She’s going to come hunting. The Romans love to hunt us. They love to destroy our sanctuaries.”

I cross my arms “I didn’t give her details. She doesn’t have enough information to hunt, even if I would permit such a thing.”

Daro challenges “Could you stop her?”

I reply “Of course, she’s my friend.”

Felix looks at me and laughs, the sound not funny at all. “Nico, you already know you tread narrowly. I won’t remind you.” He turns to Will “And what can I get you, Son of Apollo? We have some bows, always a favorite with your bloodline, and some knives. I suspect you are more the healing type than the shooting type, no?”

Will hides his surprise well. “That’s right.”

Felix nods “How about a small knife, wicked sharp. Perfect for self-defense or for medicine. The blade will never dull, and the edge can be coated in a numbing agent or perhaps a poison. How does that sound?”

Will asks “Do you read minds?”

Felix shakes his head “No, but I have centuries of experience.” Will buys the knife, and we make it out without being attacked. That’s probably because the sun hasn’t begun to go down yet.

Will mutters “I didn’t mean to upset everyone there.”

I shake my head “No problem.”

We shadow travel back to camp, and I feel Will release a deep breath. “That place is surreal. Nico, how did you find it?”

I shrug “I wandered the labyrinth for a while. I found a lot of places that many don’t know of. I have lost most of them, but the enclaves are easily accessible by shadow. You can also walk in from the street, but there are spells in place against that.”

Will nods “Well, that street is fascinating. I hope we go again, I got a lot of great things at that shop. The herbs are some of the best I have ever seen.”

I nod “Of course. I’m glad you liked it.”

Will shakes his head “That is one of the scariest places I’ve been, but also one of the most interesting. Thank you Nico.”

“Anytime, my friend.”


	24. Chapter 24

A few days later, I wake in a black mood. This time, I realize why. I’m bored. There’s nothing to do at camp. Will is back at home, doing his school so he can be a doctor. Jacob is home with his mother. My father hasn’t summoned me, and I’m not bored or stupid enough to return uninvited after last time. I grump around, giving sword lessons to the few who dare to ask me, and generally ruining everyone’s day. Leo is back to avoiding me, and Calypso is the only one who will talk to me for any length of time. That’s probably because something about the way she is reminds me to be polite and to respect her. She may be mortal now, but she is the daughter of a titan.

At dinner, something interesting finally happens. Above the heads of six of the Demeter campers hovers a new sigil. I look closely. In the gathering dark, it appears to be a glowing, blood red pomegranate. Everyone stops in shock. No camper has ever been claimed twice, but what else can it be? Even Chiron is shocked. The youngest, the girl that poisoned me with the blowgun during capture the flag finally asks “What is happening?”

Chiron looks around, then states the obvious “It appears that you have been claimed by another god.” He looks so bewildered that I have to say something.

I comment “The goddess Persephone has claimed you. Her symbol is the pomegranate.”

Chiron glares at me me, happy to have a target for the confusion “Are you sure, Nico?”

I nod “Absolutely.”

Chiron asks “How did you know?” He does love to pick on me.

I sigh and lean back, showing a relaxed poise. I don’t like to play Chiron’s game, but the campers look so confused. “I overheard a conversation between Lord Hades and Queen Persephone, about their children. I suppose this is the result.”

Chiron scowls “You don’t just overhear conversations between gods.”

I shrug “Then I suppose I was meant to hear it and carry news, to be sure that the god’s will is done.”

Chiron looks thoughtful. “Are you sure that her symbol is the pomegranate?”

I reply “It is.” I turn my attention back to my food.

Chiron sits back and thinks. He orders “Nico, come see me later. Okay, everyone. It appears that we have a new project. The Persephone campers need a new cabin. If it is okay, you will stay in your current cabin until your new one is built.”

The Demeter counselor nods. “That’s fine. We’ll all help. It will be hard to build a cabin in winter.” I listen as they start to plan what the cabin will look like. No one doubts, or if they do, they say nothing. After lunch, I meet Chiron in the big house.

“Nico, I want the whole story. I doubt you just happened to be in the underworld while they were discussing their children.”

Chiron is very good at spotting half-stories. I decide on the short version. “Well, Jacob’s table was cursed by a fertility or earth goddess, so I went to the Underworld and asked the Queen if she did it. She swore she didn’t, and tracked down her mother, who was responsible. Then Lord Hades and the Queen had a heart-to-heart, in which they decided not to destroy each other’s children. She admitted to having children, blaming her mother for leading her astray. Apparently they had a deal in which her mother would claim the children of spring.” I sit back and watch Chiron.

He shakes his head. “Nico, what on earth were you thinking? You should have been blown to bits. The Queen of the Underworld is one of the most interesting of goddesses.”

I shrug “She probably wouldn’t destroy me, because I remind her of my father. I didn’t know you cared.”

Chiron stares at me. “How is that any insurance?”

I reassure “They do actually love each other. I dare not ask for the true story, but it’s not the way her mother tells it.”

Chiron starts to repeat back “So you accused the Queen of cursing your brother…”

I shrug and add “Technically his mother. I added in my mother as well.”

Chiron just shakes his head. “Nico, I am very glad you weren’t blown up. That was stupid.”

I roll my shoulders. “It got the curse lifted.”

Chiron asks “How bad of a curse was this?”

“Bad. I wouldn’t have let Jacob go back if the curse hadn’t been lifted.”

Chiron taps his hoof. I can tell that he is thinking. Then he goes “Wait, you wouldn’t have let Jacob go back? What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. I wouldn’t send my brother home to an unsafe situation.”

Chiron looks annoyed “Nico, this is the problem I have with you sometimes. It’s not your call. I am supposed to have authority here, counselors are supposed to report problems like that to me.”

I make my face blank of emotion “Forgive me for presuming, but I sincerely doubt you would have done anything on my suggestion. You took very little interest in me, and what you did was not helpful. Why should I trust you?”

Chiron looks surprised. “I didn’t know that was the problem. Nico, what else was I supposed to do? I was bound not to do anything. I couldn’t do anything.”

I nod. I expected an answer of the sort. I ask “Do you know the difference between living and dead?”

Chiron replies “The living have breath and life, and the dead don’t.”

I shake my head. “No. The difference is that the living can change and the dead can’t. Immortal creatures can be living or dead. You get more of a choice. If there is no change, immortals are as good as the dead.”

Chiron asks “What would you have me do, Nico?”

“Just consider what you could do. Camp half-blood is changing very quickly. Very, very, quickly. It is living again. The Hecate campers obviously have different needs than your traditional heroes, for one. The Hermes campers have always felt underappreciated. That’s what started the whole series of wars. Maybe not all the campers can be the heroes you expect them to be. Right now, the minor gods are satisfied with cabins and thrones. How long will that last? They are far closer to their children than the great gods, because they have been allowed to be so. Are you prepared for that?” I cross my arms.

I expect Chiron to dismiss me out of hand, as he has done before. Instead, he stops and thinks. It seems to be the day for it. He sighs, deeply “I see you point, Nico. Thank you for speaking up.” I know that is all the appreciation I will receive. I turn to go. Chiron stops me. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something else. Annabeth suggested it to me, and I think she might be right.”

 I turn back, curious. I take a seat, and Chiron sits across from me. I ask “And what does Annabeth want me to do?”

Chiron winces slightly, recognizing that I trust Annabeth far more than him. “We have a personnel shortage among the satyrs, and Annabeth and I think you could help.”

I fold my arms “Go on.”

Chiron does “I’d like you to be on the lookout for students that are half-bloods. Simply put, we don’t have enough people working to find all of the demigods out there. The deaths are starting to roll in, and you are right that the gods get annoyed. With cabins under construction, I can’t leave. We have decided to send you to a school for troubled children. It’s one of the places where the most powerful half-bloods end up.”

I nod. I really don’t want to go back to school, but I ask “Do I need good grades?”

Chiron smiles softly “No, but you do need to pass all of your classes.”

I shrug “Fine. I can do that.”

Chiron nods “Thank you, Nico. If possible, could you leave tomorrow? Orientation began today.”

I consider. It will only take me a few hours to pack. I nod “I can be ready by tomorrow morning. Where is this school? I assume it is a boarding school.”

Chiron replies “It is in New Hampshire. I can give you information, if you like. You job is just to keep any other half-bloods safe until the end of the year, when I’ll invite them to a special summer camp. You know…” I can tell he is having second thoughts. He tilts his head then declares “If Annabeth says you can do it, I believe her.”

I smile ironically. “I’ll have to thank Annabeth for her confidence and support.” Chiron sighs again, already fed up with me. He doesn’t appreciate my humor either.

So that is how I ended up back in school, on my new mission to save my fellow demigods. It is sort of fun, and I get to kill lots of monsters. The students are interesting. There are a number that are probably demigods or descended from them. The pranks are nearly as good as camp half-blood, and no one knows that I am the Son of Hades or the Ghost King. I mean, I still creep everyone out by wearing all black, and enjoy myself doing it. The best part is that Hazel spelled my sword so that the teachers can’t see it. Now I can threaten whoever I want and get away with it. School isn’t so bad, not when you can decapitate your Geometry teacher because she was going to eat a student. Of course, I had to apologize to my father, but it was totally worth it.

I think I might enjoy the next few years more than I expected.

 

 

 

_~~~ Fine ~~~_

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is done. This ended up being far longer than I intended, and thank you so much for reading. Any and all comments are appreciated, they really keep me going.

**Author's Note:**

> Please Comment!!!


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